


I should go

by ShipMistress



Series: I Should Go [1]
Category: How to Train Your Dragon (Movies)
Genre: F/M, If only they would talk..., Modern AU, Old Schoolfriends, Perv!cup, Perv!strid, reunion after 10 years
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-03-21
Updated: 2018-03-21
Packaged: 2019-04-05 13:18:42
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 32
Words: 56,733
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14045085
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ShipMistress/pseuds/ShipMistress
Summary: As kids, they were inseparable, and best friends as teens. But when an accident strikes hard, they separate after high school, and lose contact.Ten years later, fate brings them back together, but in an unusual way... for her to be his new employee!





	1. Astrid's day

**Astrid**

Sometimes life just sucked! There were always good days and bad days, but this one was just plain crazy.

Astrid tried to relax after she sat down on the last available place, wedged between an old man who seemed to be asleep in his seat and an evenly tired looking woman with a crying toddler on her lap. With a sigh, she threw a look at her phone, the first one in hours. Seven missed calls from various unknown numbers. She deleted them all, plugged in her earphones, turned on the music on her phone, and closed her eyes. Reality would catch up with her soon enough, this fifteen-minutes-ride on the bus belonged to her and her alone.

But, of course, today things wouldn't be that easy. Only moments after her eyes had shut, the day began to play out in her mind all over again.

It had even started the wrong way, determined to be the most dreadful day of her entire life. Instead of being woken up by her phone and Ruelle's soothing voice, Astrid had been startled awake by a loud and painful scream followed by a stream of curses. Being about half an hour too early she had grudgingly decided to get up, not bothering to lay down again for that short amount of time. And in case she should meet her neighbour later in the stairwell, she would give him or her a good punch on the arm for waking her up. In case she found out _who_ it had been, of course.

Then she got ready for the day and was on her way. It was the day of her latest job interview, and she had been quite enthusiastic about it. She really had put her hopes into that one. Personal assistant for one of famous Dragonite Engineering's CEOs. Although from what it said in the description, it sounded more like being someone's _guineapig_. Getting to use all these cool inventions and gadgets, and even getting _paid_ for it! Of course, there were always risks, but life only was fun when one got a scar out of it! And her daily training made her well prepared for this demanding job.

But then there had been this accident on the highway and the traffic jam thereafter. Of course, she had felt sorry for that poor guy who had stood aside from the street and stared dumbfounded at the remains of his fancy car. But he should have been happy to be unharmed. And since his car could not be saved anyway, there was no reason to block the entire street. The only purpose this event served was to make her late, and Mrs Dragonite, _the dragon_ herself, hadn't been lenient about that, not at all! She hadn't even talked to her and had just sent her away again, not wanting to even deal with unpunctual people, let alone work with them.

That sentiment stung. Astrid was proud of always being responsible, and punctuality was part of that. It hadn't been her fault…

With entirely too much time left and in a very bad mood, she had walked all the way to the diner, where she was to meet her boyfriend. _Ex-boyfriend_! Astrid reminded herself angrily. It wasn't like she was sad to see him go. Mentally, she had broken up with Eret weeks ago already, and their relationship hadn't been serious to begin with anyway. She had wanted to talk to him sooner, but time had gone by... She hadn't bothered herself too much over talking to him, though, since he hadn't found much time to see her _at all_ during the last weeks. Of course, by now she knew why…

She had arrived two hours early at the dinner, only to find him making out with another girl at the parking lot. She hadn't even bothered to talk to him then, had just turned around and walked away. She didn't care whether he had waited for her later. She had blocked his number and had muted her phone just in case, not wanting to ever be reminded of him again. Yes, their relationship had been over anyway but she at least had been faithful until it was official. Not that there had been any occasion to be unfaithful, though…

After that, she had wandered aimlessly through the shopping arcade, bought a slice of pizza for lunch, and looked at all these beautiful things she still wasn't able to afford.

Then it had begun to rain, and Astrid had cursed her luck for she'd left her jacket at _the dragon's lair_ as Dragonite Engineering was called on the streets. Now, she knew why… This woman with her irritable temper was well worth being called a dragon. And her eyes… there was something ancient in those eyes, entirely opposite from her rather youthful face. Indeed, the nickname _dragon_ was well chosen.

Astrid had thought about going back to get her jacket but had decided against it. The hour-long hike would have been enough to soak her entirely which would have defied the purpose and as far as she knew the bus connection, wouldn't be much faster, either.

So she had waited for the bus to drive her home which was, of course, delayed. There had been a roof at the bus station so she wasn't completely soaked now. But it had leaked and the drizzle had done the rest.

Astrid was tired, cold, disappointed and wet and all she wanted now was to go home…

Suddenly someone brushed against her leg and she threw her eyes open, ready to break the groper's arm. He had chosen the wrong day to mess with her!

Directly in front of her stood a man, his back toward her and his leg brushing against her's as he tried to give way to an elderly women „Here, take my seat" the man said and while the old lady thanked him for his kindness Astrid noted the unusual pattern on his leather jacket, dangling right before her eyes. Scales? Who would engrave scales into leather…

The old lady then had trouble climbing the steps that led up to the back bench as well so the man helped here there, too.

„Too kind, young man." the old lady said and patted his cheek.

„No problem" he replied, embarrassed. „I get off in a few minutes anyway."

Astrid slouched down, trying to hide in a non-existent hole. She could have offered her own seat. That would have been so much easier for the old lady and she would have to get off in a few minutes, too. But the truth was, Astrid was not in the mood to be kind. Not today!

She sighed again and tried to concentrate on the music some more before she would have to get up.

When the bus reached her station then she wiggled herself through the tight gangway and, due to an probably accidental shove, stumbled out and down to the street. She surely would have landed in a muddy puddle, making this day perfect indeed, if not for the arm that came from nowhere and caught her right before she landed.

 _Great_! She thought to herself unnerved. _Now I'm even a damsel in distress!_

„Thanks." She murmured embarrassed and got up again without looking. She had already recognized the scale pattern on her saviour's arm.

„You're welcome." He murmured right back and turned to walk away as soon as she was safely on her feet again. Astrid stood there, slightly baffled, as she looked after him. She was, in fact, quite used to men, any men, flirting with her on any occasion. Having one miss a chance like this was almost offensive. But maybe she wasn't his type. Or he wasn't into girls at all. Not that she cared…

With a shrug she went her way, following scale-jacket in fact, as he seemed to have the same way Astrid did. Without intending to do so, her eyes clung to his tall form as he made his way through the crowd. This was a rather small neighbourhood and she had lived here since she was born so, at last, she recognized everyone who lived nearby and although she hadn't seen his face she was sure that-

_-he didn't live in her freaking house!_

Astrid stared at his back while he stopped in front of the building her apartment was in and fumbled for his keys. She knew every single person living in that house and he was not one of them. Unless…

The Ingermans had moved out a while ago and their apartment had been empty ever since. Could scale-jacket be the new inhabitant? Curiously Astrid stepped closer until she stood right behind him to catch a glimpse of the name written in a clean handwriting next to the button beneath her's.

Then she froze.


	2. Hiccup's day

**Hiccup**

Sometimes life just sucked! There were always good days and bad days but this one was just plain crazy.

Hiccup tried very hard to stare straight ahead, to not let his eyes linger but it was almost impossible. This whole day had been crazy somehow but this topped everything…

That morning Hiccup had gotten up early to start unpacking a few boxes before he went to work. Or rather that's what he'd intended to do. Because whoever had packed these boxes must have been an idiot! Who would lay a Japanese kitchen knife between ordinary butter knives, forks, and spoons, for Thor's sake?

He had cursed a lot while letting cool water run over the long gash on his palm. The right one, fortunately, but still… He had dressed the cut and settled for a prolonged breakfast of honey pops and an apple while sifting through some of his latest projects and plans on his laptop. Unpacking was unfortunately out of order with a wound like this and even getting dressed had been a challenge.

The next point on his list of craziness had been his cousin. Of course, Hiccup had loved to see him totally devastated like that. He had even waved at him, smiling, as he passed him and the destroyed remains of his latest plaything on his way to the office. But it had also made him late.

Retrospectively Hiccup hoped Snotlout hadn't noticed him at all. He would only get annoying calls and angry looks from various family members if he did. But the sight had been priceless nonetheless.

When he'd arrived at work almost two hours late his friend and colleague Fishlegs had been frantic.

"Where have you been?" he had all but squealed. "The boss was here at least ten times asking for you! You better go and report."

With a sigh, Hiccup had done so and started to work afterwards. His delay had thrown off his plans for that day so when he arrived for his lunch appointment he had been late, again.

* * *

"You're late!" his mother pointed out, grimacing.

"Really?" Hiccup replied dryly. "Well, thanks for telling me. I would not have noticed." Her frown deepened and he rolled his eyes. She hated sarcasm.

"There was this traffic jam, you know, and-"

"Yes, yes, I've heard about that one already!" she interrupted him unnerved, waving her hand dismissively. "Several times, in fact…" She rubbed her forehead soothingly as if to settle a headache. Hiccup knew his mother well enough by now to guess what made her this antsy.

"No luck with the new applicants?" he asked with mixed feelings. He had hoped and feared alike… His mother threw him a dark look.

"I'm doing this for you!" She pointed out. "It is way too dangerous for you to do this yourself! I won't allow that!"

Hiccup scoffed inwardly. As if his mother cared for him like a mother should…

"What happened to your hand, anyway?" she asked as if to prove his thoughts wrong but Hiccup knew better. "It's just a cut." He reassured her grimacing. "It won't interfere with my work." His mother nodded and Hiccup decided to change the subject.

"So they were all just scrawny wimps and nerds like myself?" he guessed, knowing quite well what kind of people applied for a job at _the dragon's lair_. His mother just pressed her lips together and nodded.

At that moment, the waitress brought his order, pancakes and a gigantic bowl of coffee, as usual. "Strong, blond and sweet, as always," she announced, winking, and Hiccup stared down at the mug, thrown off for a moment. This had been a joke between him and the waitresses ever since he started to work here two months ago. But today, it got an altogether different meaning somehow. And it only got worse.

"Everyone but the first," his mother answered belatedly. "But she was late, so-"

"So you send her away without hearing her out," Hiccup finished and shook his head. He wasn't sure whether to be disappointed or relieved. "Do you know what caused that traffic jam this morning?" he asked, staring down at his coffee idly.

"Do I care?" she retorted but Hiccup didn't react to her tone.

"Snotlout smashed his car, and blocked almost the entire road in his attempts to save it," he explained, strained to keep the flood of emotions out of his voice. It wouldn't do to let his mother see the amount of his emotional involvement in this. And it worked.

For a moment she was silent but then she started to laugh, low and short, but real. They got startled glances from the surrounding tables but neither of them bothered to care.

"I'll have Heather call that first one later and invite her again. She did look promising," his mother admitted.

 _I bet she did!_ Hiccup thought to himself.

* * *

When Hiccup returned to their office after lunch, Fishlegs was already waiting for him.

"Oh thank Thor, you're still in one piece!" he greeted him, honestly relieved. Hiccup suspected that his friend was slightly afraid of his mother, _the dragon_ , but then he couldn't exactly blame him. She was _the dragon_ , after all… So he just raised an eyebrow at his friend's choice of words and watched him blush in embarrassment.

"Ahm… What I wanted to ask you…" Fishlegs fidgeted uncomfortably, then chickened out. "You moved in yesterday, didn't you? How is it?"

Hiccup grimaced, overwhelmed again by his twisted feelings. "It great!" he reassured his friend. "Thanks for that again! How are your parents anyway?"

"Oh, they are fine. They send photos last night, from Paris I think," he paused. "Wanna see?" he asked belatedly and Hiccup chuckled. "Not really"

Fishlegs was still fidgeting, and Hiccup sighed. "What is it, Legs? Spit it out!" Hiccup ordered, already knowing what his friend would say.

"Uhm… would you lend me your car…again?" the plump man asked, flushing slightly and Hiccup smiled to himself.

"Another mysterious date?" he asked. "Someday you have to tell me who she is, you know." 

Fishlegs flush deepened and Hiccup searched his bag for the car key. He threw it to his friend who caught it clumsily.

"Thanks, man! I owe you!"

* * *

 

 _Oh yes, Fishlegs owed him_! Hiccup thought to himself as he waited for the bus to arrive after work. He didn't exactly mind taking the bus but he still hadn't been to the grocery store and probably would have to order in for dinner today, again.

Hiccup had waited the entire afternoon for the predicted rain to arrive as he needed it to test the new rainproof material for his _Dragonfly_ project, but as time went by it became clear he wouldn't be able to carry out this test today. So he'd finally packed his things and made his way home.

When the bus arrived, belated as always, it was almost empty and Hiccup chose one of the back seats, settling for the hour-long ride back to his new home. Of course, that's when it began to rain.

It was crazy. He hadn't thought _that_ much of Astrid Hofferson, not since they finished High School together almost ten years ago. Or.. well... who was he kidding... She had always held this special place in his heart and mind, being his first love and long-time crush and all, but he hadn't actually _believed_ he would ever see her again. Not until some unseen force had pushed her back into his life two days ago.

He hadn't talked to her, hadn't even seen her yet but as things went he would not be able to avoid that to happen for much longer.

* * *

It had begun two days ago when Heather, his mother's assistant, had given him a folder with files of applicants for him to look through. He hadn't cared much, though, since, in his opinion, he didn't need anyone else to mess with his projects. But when she had shown no signs of leaving him until he had at least given it a look, he had reluctantly opened the folder. The first page had been some kind of index, a list of names with some numbers and signs behind them, listing their age, gender and other information Heather had seemed fit to note. Always efficient she was.

The first name on that list had been hers. Hiccup had starred at it, disbelievingly, dumbfounded, shocked. His first instinct had been to laugh at this joke but then he had realized that, indeed, neither his mother nor omniscient Heather would know the names of his school friends.

He had closed the folder again then, deliberately and almost careful, and had pushed it back to Heather. He hadn't wanted to sift through her life like that.

"You know, Heather, I don't really care. You would know better what she's looking for so, please, pick some suitable candidates, alright?" He'd told her, not wanting to make a decision like this.

Heather had looked confused then but had taken the folder back nonetheless. "It's about _your_ assistant, not hers. You _do_ know that, right?"

Hiccup had shrugged. "Whatever…"

* * *

Having her as his potential assistant had been an intriguing thought at first. He would get to see her again, get to spend time with her, get to know her. Intriguing indeed!

But he would also be her boss. And he wouldn't want her to think spending time with him was part of the job. So his twisted heart had begun to hope she would get the job while also hoping she wouldn't.

And then he had moved into his new apartment, finally, after living in his mother's spare room for entirely too many weeks. He had been thankful to Fishlegs for the offer. The apartment had belonged to his parents and had been empty ever since they started their around-the-world trip two weeks ago. Hiccup hadn't known however who his neighbour would be. Oh, he had recognized the house immediately, had spent there several afternoons as a kid. But only when he had written his name to the bell and mailbox yesterday he had realized that she in fact still lived there. That she would be his direct neighbour nonetheless. Fishlegs had never mentioned that but then, even he wouldn't know who Hiccup's school friends had been.

No, he wouldn't be able to avoid her. And it was not that he actually wanted to do so! He was eager to see her again, wondering whether she had changed a lot or whether she was still the beautiful, energetic and funny person he remembered.

But since he had read her name in that blasted folder he had thought about many things. That an independent person like herself probably wouldn't like to have a boss who was, in fact, younger than her, not to mention one who had been her friend once. He had thought about the possibility of them becoming friends once again after all these years. And Freya, yes, he had fantasized about being more than just friends as well. And he had thought about how being her boss _and_ her neighbour would affect his chances in both cases.

All this craziness messed with his head and he leaned back against the headrest. He needed to get back a clear mind for all this pondering didn't do him any good, really. He hadn't even met her, for Thor's sake! And maybe things would even work out in his favour for once. Maybe she wouldn't get the job as his personal assistant. Maybe she wasn't suited for this task, after all. Or maybe she wasn't interested in this job anymore at all, after her almost-conversation with his mother. And maybe Thor sometimes lend Mjöllnir to Loki for a day, just for fun! No, the Gods hated him, Hiccup had accepted that fact long ago, and they would keep tormenting him with the most complicated outcome possible.

"Excuse me? Is that seat free?" A tired voice asked. Hiccup opened his eyes again and looked around. The voice belonged to a woman who carried a toddler on her arm, and held a small girl on her other hand. He looked to the right where the mentioned seat was, perplexed for a moment. Then he shook his head in an attempt to clear it.

"Yeah, sure. It's free" he confirmed and got up to leave his place for the young mother as well, but she declined and sat down directly in front of her daughter on a seat placed to the side of the bus. Hiccup then noticed how crowded the bus had become during the last minutes. These two seats had actually been the last to be placed close to each other with only about four or five other seats left. Sometimes Hiccup was glad Dragonite Engineering was one of the first stops on the route.

"What is this?" a high voice asked at his side and Hiccup turned to the right where the small girl sat and looked curiously at his arm.

"That's my arm." He answered, frowning. The girl giggled and shook her head.

"I know, silly." She replied, exasperated. "What's that around your arm?" – "Sophie!" her mother interjected. "Be nice!"

But Hiccup smiled reassuringly at her and turned back to Sophie. "That's a jacket. Don't you have a jacket, too?" He asked in a playful tone and Sophie giggled again.

"Sure I have. See?" She tugged at her own arm. "It pink and it has unicorns." She frowned at his leather jacket once more. "It's much prettier than yours."

Hiccup chuckled slightly. "Well, yours has unicorns. They are almost the best, right?" – "Right!" she agreed.

The man sitting beside Sophie's mother got up and went to the exit. "Sophie, come and sit here." She told her daughter. "Give the man some rest, alright?" She added lovingly.

"No, I stay here!" Sophie decided stubbornly and Hiccup saw a smile tugging at her mother's lips. "You don't mind, do you?" Sophie asked him and he answered, "Not at all."

For a moment Sophie was silent, looking at his arm again, then she asked, "What is this pattern? It looks like the skin of a fish" Hiccup stifled his laughter by pretending to cough.

"Almost right." He agreed. "They are scales similar to those of a fish. But these here, they are dragon scales!" He added in a mysterious tone and Sophie's eyes widened. "Dragons?" she asked almost whispering and Hiccup nodded. "Because dragons" he made a dramatic pause. "are the best!" Sophie's pink mouth was formed into a small 'O' and then she nodded resolutely.

"When I'm grown up I want to be a dragon!" she stated and jumped up. Hiccup and Sophie's mother chuckled likewise but stopped when the girl started to roar like a dragon, too, startling the toddler into crying. The mother threw her daughter a warning look and Sophie shrank bank on her seat, silenced at once.

After a few moments, Sophie explained, "That's my sister. She's still a baby and babies always cry." But Hiccup wasn't listening to Sophie anymore and just stared ahead.

The bus had stopped and a new load of passengers had entered. With them came a young woman with a thick blond braid. Hiccup stared at her. She had a slender figure with well-defined muscles and curves. Her golden hair, though messy by now, was braided intricately and her bright blue eyes shone like sapphires as they searched the bus for an empty seat.

Gods, she was even more beautiful then he remembered or could have conjured up in his dreams.

And then she slumped down next to Sophie's mother _-only two freaking places away from him!_ His heart was pounding rapidly, his fingers trembling.

She sat there, eyes closed and earphones plugged in, completely lost to the world around her and Hiccup felt free to gaze at her curiously. He had recognized her immediately, would have recognized her everywhere. But after these two days in which he'd practically thought of nothing but her, her sudden appearance was like a bucket full of icy water down his back.

At his side, Sophie tugged at his arm. "She looks creepy!" the girl whispered, following his gaze and Hiccup nodded.

She was soaked by the rain, her hair frizzed and dishevelled. Her make-up had smeared and smudged her face thoroughly. She looked miserable and tired the way she slumped down in her seat, her face contorted into an angry grimace by some memory or other. He got why little Sophie thought her creepy.

He just couldn't see that in her himself.

Her face, though stained by make-up, was still beautiful, with the small nose the plump lips and the shining eyes, that were hidden from his view now. The make-up had left dark lines on her cheeks and her red-rimmed eyes told him that wasn't because of the rain. He wondered what had made her tearing up like this, a sudden wave of protectiveness washing over him.

Her dishevelled hair however stirred other feelings and made him wonder what she would look like with her hair down around her bare shoulder. With a blush, Hiccup tore his eyes away from her face and dropped them guiltily. But only to have them land on her body instead!

Oh, Gods… the rain had soaked her clothes enough to make them stick to her curves enticingly. Her thin blouse clung to her form like a second skin, the wet material nearly transparent, revealing almost more of her than was publically decent. His throat went dry and he swallowed hard, heart racing.

Gathering every ounce of his remaining willpower he tore his eyes away from her entirely. He was _not_ like that! Gaping at a woman like this, like her body was all that mattered. But, Gods, this was not just any woman.

Hiccup tried very hard to stare straight ahead, to not let his eyes linger again but it was almost impossible. This whole day had been crazy somehow but this topped everything…

He fought to regain control over his heartbeat and breathing, desperately needing to clear his head. He could have greeted her, could have said anything and maybe he even would have done so if she had opened her eyes only once. But she was completely caught up in her mind and he didn't want to interrupt her thoughts or daydreams or whatever was in her head right now. He would get his chance to talk to her sooner or later anyway.

The bus drove on, passengers left and entered and it became even more crowded the further they drove. Sophie and her mother had left, too, not without waving him goodbye, though, and the low roar the girl had given him had made him smile again. It also had been enough to distract him, for a moment at least, from the blond woman who was so much more than a random stranger on the bus to him. And she didn't even know… _Man, you're pathetic!_ Hiccup thought pitifully to himself.

When the bus was only two stations away from his, Hiccup spotted an elderly woman entering the bus and standing helplessly amidst the crown. He beckoned her to come over and stood up to offer her his seat. He had intended to step to the left to make way for her to pass him but, apparently, the Gods had different plans. They chose this to be the moment when the bus drove around a corner and while everybody around him was already used to the constantly moving underground, Hiccup was not and stumbled to the right. He got the horrible image of him landing right on her lap and desperately grasped around for any hold. And for once today, he was lucky. He got hold of a free handle and caught himself from landing on top of her at the last moment possible. Only his leg brushed hers and his heart made an almost painful leap at the contact.

 _Oh_ _Gods, she's going to punch me!_ He thought, not without having fond memories of her doing so when they'd been kids playing out in his mind. He mentally braced himself for the impact but nothing happened. All that happened was that the elderly woman thanked him and, after he had helped her up the steps to the bench, embarrassed him further by patting his cheek like he was a small boy.

He stood there, panting slightly, his heart still racing from his embarrassing stumble and the accidental contact. He turned around to tentatively look at her, but her eyes were still closed. Hadn't she even noticed? Maybe she fell asleep. Maybe he should wake her up least she missed her… their station.

 _Their station_ … it had a strangely soothing ring to it and – _and he should not think like that!_

Gods, he really was pathetic…

When she then stirred, Hiccup was positive she wasn't asleep, turned and made his way toward the exit. She was _not_ his girlfriend, wasn't even his friend! She wasn't his _anything_! He had no rights to think the things he thought…

The bus stopped, the doors opened and after he'd seen her standing up from her seat out of the corner of his eye he left the bus. The rain had stopped by now but road and sidewalk were glistening wet, with puddles in varying sizes everywhere.

Hiccup stood there, indecisively. Should he wait for her? They had the same way after all and it would be ridiculous to walk the whole way apart when he _knew_! He turned to look for her then, and frowned when she was nowhere to be seen. The doors of the bus were already about to close but she hadn't left yet.

A thought occurred to him then and he could have hit himself for not thinking of this earlier. Maybe she wasn't going home. Maybe she had other plan or maybe… maybe she was on her way to another place, to her boyfriend's. A beautiful woman like her surely wasn't single.

Hiccup sighed then and was about to turn away when she all but fell out of the bus, arms rowing helplessly in an attempt to regain her balance. He reacted instinctively then, made the one step he needed to reach her and caught her before she landed in one of the bigger puddles.

For a moment, he was unable to move, too startled for any reaction. The sensation of her soft and fragile body pressed against him was overwhelming and dizzying as it rendered him breathless. _Oh Gods, please!_ was all he could think, not sure what he was pleading for exactly but desperate nonetheless.

He didn't remember how, but suddenly she was on her own feet again, her hand still tentatively resting on his arm. "Thanks." she murmured in a low voice without looking up and all he could do was answer "You're welcome." reflexively.

With the memory of holding her soft curves in his arms still fresh in his mind, he was unable to keep any coherent thought and so all he could do was fleeing. The instant she was safely on her feet again he turned and all but ran from her.

It was stupid! She would catch up to him soon, while he waited for the lift at the latest. But at least he would have a few minutes to recompose himself. And he needed those desperately! He needed his heartbeat to return to a normal pace and he needed the fierce blush on his face and neck to disappear, too. Gods, this was not how he had imagined their first meeting to occur. Anything would have been better than to have her firm breasts pressed against-

 _Stop it!_ He scolded himself while taking a ragged breath. This thought was not helpful, not at all!

He caught glimpses of her bright hair whenever he rounded a corner and was relieved to see her keeping her distance. She obviously wasn't in a hurry to catch up to him, to punch him after all for touching her and he began to hope he even might make it into his apparent without meeting her again today. He could take the stairs instead of the lift. Three floors weren't impossible to climb, not anymore at least. He could do this!

But, again, the Gods had other plans… When he reached the entrance to the apartment building she was still well out of reach but so were his keys.

 _No, no, no!_ he pleaded but to no avail. When he finally found them in his bag the steps behind him had already stopped and quite close to him, too. Hiccup made no attempt to open the door then, accepting the unavoidable and bracing himself for whatever might happen now.

"Hiccup Haddock?" rang her disbelieving voice to his ears and, with slumped shoulders, he turned toward her.

"Hey, Astrid."


	3. Meeting at last

**Astrid**

Astrid froze.

Could this be real? She knew the name written beneath hers, knew is quite well in fact. He had been her friend, her only friend really, throughout their entire childhood. He had left after High School, though, and Astrid remembered well the tragic circumstances thereof.

She gazed back at scale-jacket and compared the tall and toned man in front of her with the scrawny and clumsy boy of her memories. The dishevelled auburn hair surely was the same, though, and the name… The plate read only H. Haddock but Haddock wasn't a common name, exactly.

"Hiccup Haddock?" she asked disbelievingly and unsure what to expect. Surely this would be a coincidence!

And then he turned, shoulders slumped down guiltily and gazed at her with a small smile. "Hey, Astrid." He greeted her, obviously unsurprised to see her.

Astrid gaped at him, recognizing his emerald-green eyes instantly. It _was_ Hiccup! _Her_ Hiccup! With a small cry, she jumped at him and threw her arms around his neck, embracing him tightly. She hadn't expected to see him ever again, but here he was, reappearing out of nowhere like it was nothing out of the ordinary.

"Uhm…" Hiccup made an uncomfortable sound and she let go of him instantly, embarrassed by her emotional outburst. "Nice to see you, too." He stated shakily, his always ready wit obviously still in order.

Astrid shook her head, a little dazed. "What are you doing here?" she asked, still unable to process this.

"Uhm…" he shrugged, using almost his entire body for the motion, just like she remembered. "I, uh… live here. Just moved in."

Astrid blinked. Of course, that's what she'd guessed already, but… "And you haven't thought of telling me? Of dropping in to say hello?" That stung… again! It reminded her of how awful the day had been so far. Seeing Hiccup was by far the best thing that happened today but something was off there, as well. She just couldn't...

Her eyes widened when everything clicked into place. "You!" she shrieked. "You were on the bus with me! With the old lady! And you caught me!"

He cringed visibly beneath her words and averted his eyes. "Yeah" he admitted lamely. "I was. I-I'm sorry for not saying anything. You seemed so distracted and… well, I thought we would see each other sooner or later, so…" he trailed off, scratching his neck uncomfortably. Astrid still stared at him. He was right on that one point, though, she had been pretty distracted. Hadn't even noticed him at all, in fact.

Then the rain began anew. They groaned in unison, shared a knowing look and started to laugh simultaneously. Hiccup, keys already in hand, opened the door then and they both hurried inside.

"So, you got the Ingerman's apartment?" she asked while they waited for the lift to arrive and Hiccup nodded. "Yeah. Their son, Fishlegs, is a friend of mine." He paused. "Do you know him?" he then asked curiously while they entered the lift and he pressed the button for the third floor.

Astrid shrugged. Of course, she knew Fishlegs! They had practically grown up together. But they had been very different in every aspect and she wouldn't claim to know him _well._ "Sure. He's a few years older than me – us" she corrected herself, grinning at Hiccup. Then she frowned. "I think he was my babysitter a few times" she added and to her surprise Hiccup laughed at that, short but full of real humour and she smiled.

Gods, how she'd missed this. Being with Hiccup had always been her safe haven in a time full of chaos and she had never felt quite the same amount of comfortability again after he'd left. She only realized this now, as they reached their respective apartment doors. She didn't want to part with him so soon again.

Astrid pressed her lips together, suddenly insecure. But this was Hiccup, her childhood friend who had always been able to make her laugh, even in the darkest of times.

"Hiccup?" she asked as he was about to enter his apartment and he turned immediately, eyes wide awake. "I bet you have nothing to eat, yet." She tried her luck and the guilty grimace on Hiccup's face then was confirmation enough. "Wanna come over? I'm not sure what's left in my fridge but I guess it's more than you have. And we could talk some more, you know... about the old times…" she trailed off, suddenly self-conscious. Had she just invited some man to her apartment? Ah, but this was not some random man, really… And Hiccup's reaction then made her forget her worries. He smiled at her, eyes blazing, and answered, "I'd love to!"

* * *

**Hiccup**

Gods, what was he doing? Had he just agreed to spend the night in her apartment?

 _Not the night!_ He corrected himself, blushing fiercely again. Just dinner and some talking. He was still baffled by her reaction to seeing him again, though. Yes, he had hoped she would remember him, but... Freya, the way she had embraced him with her whole body pressed against his. Well, he would savour this memory, to say the least.

"Oh, by Odin's balls!" he heard her curse unashamed and was at her side in an instant.

"What?" he asked worriedly. "What happened?" he looked around for any signs of an intruder or some other disaster. The small entrance room wasn't exactly tidy and he didn't know how much order she kept normally but it didn't look _that_ bad, either. Nothing was broken or anything. But Astrid wasn't looking at the surrounding chaos. She was looking at the mirror on the opposite wall, eyes wide in horror.

"I look ridiculous!" she cried and tried to cover her face with her hands. Hiccup pressed his lips together in an attempt not to laugh but also remembered the traces her tears had left on her face. Somehow he had forgotten about those, had seen only _her_ instead. But she must have cried a lot during the day and he again wondered what had made her do so.

After slipping out of her sneakers she all but ran into the small living room and further to the bathroom. "Make yourself at home." She called over her shoulder. "I'll be back in a minute… or five" she added in a high-pitched voice, that made him grin.

He slipped out of his shoes, too, and, after hesitating for a moment, entered her living room. He looked around the room, suddenly self-conscious. The room wasn't untidy exactly. No dirty dishes or clothes lying around and no traces of waste, either. The windows were surprisingly clean, too, as was the floor and every other surface. This _was_ surprising considering the amount of chaos in this small room.

Every free space was filled with some stuff or other. There were magazines and catalogues about sports equipment, outdoor equipment and extreme sports alike. More than just a few of the things depicted in these catalogues could be found for real in this room, as well. There were ropes and other things Hiccup recognized as climbing equipment, a helmet, and some almost dangerous looking gear as well.

The walls were all but plastered with pictures, photos, and cuttings of various extreme sports, too. Most depicted random people unknown to him but he also recognized Astrid herself on some of them. He saw paragliding, kitesurfing, cave-diving and even one artful painting of wingsuit flying. He smirked at that one, shook his head and smiled to himself wistfully. She was, indeed, perfect for what his mother had in mind as his _assistant._

Eyeing the couch thoughtful then he decided to _not_ sit down there. _Dinner and talking_ , he reminded himself. _Nothing more!_

He wandered into the kitchen instead where he knew would be a small table and chairs. The kitchen itself was neat, nothing out of place but a single cereal bowl and a coffee cup in the sink.

So she'd been alone this morning, for breakfast at least. His heart leapt at this and he groaned at himself, exasperated. _The wrong trail of thoughts entirely!_

He sat down on one of the chairs and waited. It took her way longer than a minute and longer even than five minutes, too. He heard a door once and guessed she'd left the bathroom to get fresh clothes from her bedroom. With nothing else to do he craned his neck to look through the doorway and the living room to where the door to her bedroom would be. Stoically he refrained from imagining what occurred in there just now. How she would slip out of her soaked cloth, towel her body dry and –

He groaned and let his head fall back, exasperated at himself. What was he doing? He shouldn't be here! She would become his assistant, his employee, as long as she was still interested in that job, he was sure of that. He had to stop thinking of her this way! Until that was sorted out at least…

He heard the door open anew and looked up again. Then his eyes widened and his throat went dry once more.

* * *

**Astrid**

Gods, what was she doing here? What did it matter whether Hiccup had seen her tearstained and dishevelled like that? This was _Hiccup_! He had seen her in her prom dress when he had picked her up and had held her hair while she'd puked her guts out over too much liquor that same day. He had held her at her parent's funeral and had let her do so likewise at his uncle's. _It didn't matter what she looked like!_

Yeah, right…

She took a deep breath to calm herself. There had been no time yet to process this but she _needed_ to think! She took her sweet time to clean her face and brush her entangled hair all while staring wide-eyed at her reflection. She knew exactly why she cared how she looked!

She remembered their last months at High School. She remembered how the thought of them parting, for college on his part and travelling on hers, had made her realize just how much she cared for him. She remembered how she'd gathered her courage, how she'd wanted to tell him how she felt. She remembered the accident at the docks and how that day had orphaned them both. And she remembered how he'd been gone suddenly with only a letter to say goodbye, promising to write again, soon. But he never had.

And now he was here, in her apartment. Ten years had passed and her heart remembered him as if it had been only days. It felt somehow like that, too. From what she'd experienced during these few minutes, time had not been able to wear down their friendship. This day had been well on its way to being in the top five of her worst days ever, but now… She took another deep and shaky breath. Maybe her life would finally turn to brighter days from now on. It had been chaotic enough so far.

When her hair was finally untangled enough for her taste she looked at her reflection once more. And blushed. She definitely needed other clothes as well! Had she honestly been out like this? It was a wonder, no-one had asked her for her price… She groaned again. But, to her defence, this blouse _had_ been quite decent when it had been dry…

She grabbed a towel and, after taking a careful look outside, hurried to her bedroom and firmly closed the door behind her. She peeled her damp clothes off of her, thankful for the rather warm spring air and towelled herself dry. Then she stood in front of her wardrobe, not sure what to wear. This wasn't a date, for Odin's sake, it shouldn't be this difficult!

But it was… normally she would put on only an over-sized shirt or maybe some tank top and shorts for the night but both options were out of order today. She could put on normal clothes again, jeans and a nice shirt… but that would seem ridiculous, artificial somehow. In the end, she chose one of her training outfits, not too formal but not too scandalous,s either, consisting of light blue jogging pants, a comfortable sports bra, and a yellow armless top. Satisfied with her appearance she left the room, grabbing a hair tie on her way out. Standing in the living room, she bound her hair into a quick, messy bun and then went to look for her guest.

Only then she realized that he, in fact, was _not_ in her living room. "Hiccup?" she called out, suddenly worried he might have left after all. He surely had been reserved somehow. Maybe she had been too direct. They weren't kids anymore after all…

"I'm over here!" His muffled voice sounded to her from the kitchen and she hurried toward him. She found him sitting on one of her wooden chairs, head rested on the table in front of him. Apparently, she had been gone for far longer than intended…

"I'm sorry this took so long." Astrid apologized, embarrassed. Hiccup lifted his eyes than to look at her, squinting slightly. "'tis alright." He mumbled, not giving her appearance a second glance.

Astrid felt stupid for giving so many thoughts into her outfit but tried to not let his indifference bother her too much. Instead, she turned to the cupboard and stretched to reach the highest shelve where the glasses stood. Grabbing two of them, she then turned to Hiccup again, who was staring at her table, lost in thoughts. Placing one glass in front of him, she asked, "What do you want to drink? I have water, coke,-" she opened the fridge then and frowned. "-coke, and… coke…" She added after taking a look at the larder as well.

"I'll have a coke then." He said, grinning, and she grimaced. So much for her fridge being better stacked than his…

Somehow things had become awkward between them suddenly. Something was off and she didn't know what it was. She needed to lighten up the atmosphere or this would turn into a disaster after all.

"So, Fishlegs is a friend of yours now? What is he doing these days? I haven't heard from him in ages." She asked and Hiccup looked at her with a strangely amused expression.

* * *

 

**Hiccup**

Is was official, the Gods hated him. He would _never_ be able to get rid of this image ever again!

When she'd left her bedroom the sight of her had been breathtaking. He had shrunk back immediately, hiding behind the doorframe and had finally settled to rest his head on the table instead, utterly shaken and defeated. How was he supposed to keep his composure and have a reasonably coherent conversation with her now?

She had changed, as he suspected but for all it was worth she could have kept the wet blouse on, it didn't make any difference, really.

She had changed into a tightly fitting top that, admittedly, wasn't transparent but clung to her frame even more closely and the clearly visible sports bra beneath only drew his eyes to places they shouldn't linger. She had changed into comfortable jogging pants as well and while they did a fairly good job in covering her legs they were low-cut at the waist and rather tight around her hips, emphasizing every movement thereof. He was just glad she hadn't turned for the sight of her behind in this pants would probably have been his undoing. And her hair… Gods… her still damp hair had hung loosely around her bare shoulders just like he had imagined earlier on the bus.

Hiccup was sure somewhere the Gods had a good laugh at his expense right now.

"Hiccup?" She called out, looking for him. So she hadn't noticed him staring at her, at least.

"I'm over here!" he called back, head still resting on the table. He would have preferred to let it stay there but knew that wasn't possible. He heard her entering the kitchen and knew his reprieve was over. "I'm sorry this took so long." She said apologetically and deep inside him some vicious part of him stirred.

_By all means, babe, take your time as often as you like if the outcome is always worth it like this!_

Hiccup groaned inwardly and tried to smother this fiendish part of him as best he could. He squinted up at her then, allowing his gaze to rest on her eyes, and her eyes only. "'tis alright." He mumbled almost incoherently and caught a glimpse of her somehow dissatisfied expression. Gods, he had to do better than this! He couldn't afford to let this awkwardness remain among them.

And then she turned, got on her toes and stretched up toward the cupboard and his eye came to enjoy the sight of her enticing behind after all. The Gods really hated him!

With much effort, he tore his gaze away from her again and just stared at the tabletop. Gods, what was up with him? He wasn't normally like that. But then, again, she wasn't some ordinary woman he met in a bar or at the park. She was Astrid Hofferson! And he was about to destroy every chance with her he might have had in the first place.

"What do you want to drink?" she asked and placed a glass in front of him, with much less force then he would have deserved. "I have water, coke, coke, and… coke." She added while opening various cupboards and doors.

"I'll have a coke then." He said with an attempt to grin and she grimaced. She seemed distressed somehow. Maybe due to her crying earlier? If there was one thing he could do for her, then is was probably making her laugh. He still didn't know why but her day hadn't been great, exactly, but maybe he could lighten her mood anyway. Or even find out what bothered her. He just needed to pull himself together.

She filled their glasses and rummaged through some other cupboards. After finally producing some cheese, bread and chips she sat down opposite of him. "So, Fishlegs is a friend of yours now?" She asked, starting just the right topic to distract him from more inappropriate thoughts. "What is he doing these days? I haven't heard from him in ages." He looked at her, bemused. Without knowing so, she had just given him the perfect opening to inconspicuously require after her day. He wouldn't miss this chance!

"Oh, he just started working at _the dragon's lair_ a few weeks back." He said casually. He already knew of her involvement with Dragonite Engineering, was eager to know how she thought about it and suspected her encounter with his mother that morning might be the reason for her tears, partially at least. And apparently, he wasn't so far off.

Astrid's face dropped slightly at the mention of his mother's company and she started to play idly with her already half-empty glass. "Well, then he was lucky, I guess." She replied and Hiccup was hard pressed to keep his lips from twitching into a victorious grin.

"Why?" he asked. "Would you like to work there as well?" Jackpot!

Astrid looked up at him then, her eyes glistening but whether due to upcoming tears or out of rapture he couldn't tell. "Oh yes, I'd like to very much!" She confessed. She frowned for a moment and then started talking.

"They had this job advertisement, you know? Namely, they were looking for a _personal assistant,_ which sounded like a boring secretary job in some bureau at first but from the description, it's probably more like being someone's guinea pig for this job would be more about testing all these cool gadgets and all." Her eyes were gleaming now. "They are working on this advanced wingsuit and I'd love to test it, and for free, nonetheless! It would have been the best thing ever if I had gotten this job!" She then added wistfully and Hiccup frowned slightly. Hadn't Heather called her yet? That wasn't like her at all!

"So, you didn't get it then?" he asked artlessly and her face dropped again.

"No… I was late for the interview and Mrs Dragonite, the CEO, send me away directly. All because of this stupid guy who crushed his stupid car!" she grumbled and Hiccup was, again, hard-pressed to keep himself from grinning. _Stupid guy, indeed..._

"But then it wasn't your fault, right?" He required innocently. "They should have given you a second chance. Didn't they call you or anything?"

Astrid scoffed. "Why would they? They have plenty of applicants for this job, I'm sure." She then frowned again and looked like she remembered something. "Actually… I wouldn't know _if_ they called me. I had my phone muted the entire day. There were a bunch of calls from unknown numbers but…" She paused and took a ragged breath. "Well, I thought they came from my ex. " She admitted gloomily.

 _She had an ex!_ Hiccup rejoiced inwardly and upbraided himself directly. Of course, she would have an ex, probably more that one, in fact. But this one seemed to be a _new_ ex.

* * *

**Astrid**

"Well, if they called me, then I missed my chance again. Great!" Astrid slumped down in her chair, disappointed and angry. "I can't exactly call them and ask whether, maybe, they tried to call me… perhaps…?" Even without being her boyfriend anymore Eret had been able to wreck her life, again! It was, however, a comfort to see Hiccup earnestly concerned about this. He had always been one of those few good men who honestly cared about others as well.

"No, that wouldn't do." He admitted thoughtfully. Astrid smiled then while she watched his brain kick into gear, trying to find a solution as it always did.

"Maybe I'm lucky and stumble into _the dragon_ once again tomorrow." She joked but it sounded lame to her own ears. Hiccup, however, perked up his ears.

"You'll be at _the lair_ tomorrow again?" he asked frowning and Astrid nodded.

"I forgot my jacket. So I thought about going there once again tomorrow and get it back. It's not like I have anything else to do…" She said gloomily.

"Mmh…" Hiccup mused, "How about… well, if you want to we could go there together, tomorrow. " He suggested hesitantly. "Erm… not to _the lair_ , but… well, it's the same way I have to take to get to work, too, so we could take the bus together and… talk some more? " He asked almost hopefully.

Astrid smiled at this. So, he _did_ enjoy her company. She hadn't been so sure about that occasionally today. "That's a great idea!" She agreed. Her chances for her dream job might be lost but at least she got Hiccup back into her life. That surely was worth something.

* * *

**Hiccup**

He had excused himself shortly after her agreeing on accompanying him in the morning, pretending to still have to do some things for work. But then, that wasn't a pretence exactly. There was one thing he still needed to do today.

After they'd bid their farewells for the night and he'd closed his door behind him he hastily scrambled for his phone. It was pretty late already but this was an emergency. Well, sort of…

He pushed the shortcut his mother had insisted upon and waited for his call to be answered. It had seemed ridiculous to him at that moment but now it actually came in handy.

"Mr Haddock?" he then heard the voice, unusually cautious and formal somehow, but he didn't care. "What can I do for you?" He took a breath and hoped his request wouldn't sound too pathetic.

"Heather! I'm sorry, I forgot to tell you earlier. But I think I overheard you weren't able to reach Ms. Hofferson today, right?" he asked and kept on when she affirmed that. "Well, I did. Reach her, I mean. She'll be there tomorrow, can you plan her in somewhere?" Heather affirmed that, too, and Hiccup thanked her wholeheartedly before bidding her farewell.

 _If there was one thing he could do for her_ … Well, this he could do! Astrid wanted this job so badly and, indeed, she was perfect for it. It wouldn't be easy but then, how hard could it be to work with her, really?


	4. The next morning

**Astrid**

When Astrid woke up the next morning, this time to Ruelle announcing this to be the hunt, she felt more relaxed and happy than she had felt in a very long time. Talking to Hiccup last night had been… well without a doubt it had been by far the best part of that day, of that entire week so far and probably even of the past few years as well. Even though they hadn't talked as much as she would have liked, it had still been… meaningful somehow. She didn't really believe going to Dragonite Engineering today would change anything on that front, though, but she was looking forward to spending more time with Hiccup on her way there. Thinking of him made her feel… serene… and at ease with herself. There was this connection between them, something special, something she had never felt before with any man she'd been with.

There was still so much to say and so many questions to ask but she wasn't in a hurry. He wouldn't run away again, right? He just moved in and had a job to attend to as well. Huh… she hadn't even asked him about that. Another addition to her mental list. There really hadn't been much time yesterday...

She got up then, for once not needing about half an hour to finally wake up enough. She was eager to start this day and even build in an additional training session before taking a long shower. With only her underwear on she all but danced through her apartment while cleaning up a bit and preparing her breakfast.

And then she stood, again, indecisively in front of her wardrobe. She really didn't believe she would get a second chance but then… who knew, she had nothing to lose anyway. She picked the most formal clothes she had, a dark blue blazer and knee-long skirt with a simple yet elegant white blouse and fitting dark blue pumps. She braided her hair accordingly into an elegant French braid instead of one of her usually more playful variations. When she then heard the doorbell ringing she almost squealed with delight, and all but ran to the door, eager to see him again.

* * *

** Hiccup **

When Hiccup's alarm went off the next morning he wanted nothing more than to smash it and throw it out of the window. He practically hadn't slept at all last night, haunted by unbitten yet _very_ pleasant images. Memories of Astrid, lying in his arms at the bus station, of the way she had looked yesterday in her training outfit and of her hair falling in golden waves around her beautiful face and delicate yet strong shoulders specifically. And even more fantasies about her doing things he didn't even bother to put into words… he groaned frustrated, rubbing his forehead in an attempt to wipe those images away.

He needed a shower… A very, very cold shower! Anything else was out of the questing since he would have to deal with her in person in only a few minutes again.

Oh, Gods… she would go to _the lair_ today to become his assistant! He groaned again, though due to entirely different reasons this time. What had he gotten himself into? This had seemed like a brilliant idea last night but today… he had all but coaxed her into going there again today. And since he knew his luck the truth would come up eventually. That it had been him who had arranged this second interview and that it would lead her to being his subordinate.

She would not like that! If things had turned out that way by chance she probably would not have blamed him. But it was neither fate nor chance which brought her into this position but him, and him alone. It was too late now to change anything, however. He could only ditch her, hoping this would turn her down enough so that she wouldn't go there at all.

…

He would _not_ do that!

Hiccup got up then and drowsily ran his fingers through his hair. What a mess… He could only try to keep her from finding out who exactly her boss would be. It was Friday so if he could stall this information from getting to her he would have the whole weekend to tell her himself at the right moment. Maybe she would give him the chance to explain, then…

After he took a shower and got dressed he realized with a start how late it already was, grabbed a cereal bar and hurried outside. Hopefully, she was already ready to go as he didn't want to be late _again._

But his worries were unfounded as she opened the door almost instantly, beaming up at him. "Good morning!" she greeted him cheerfully, grabbed her purse and stepped outside, closing the door behind her. He threw her a bemused look.

"Good morning" he replied drowsily and squinted at her bright eyes. She gave him a light punch and smiled. "Still the old sleepyhead, I see." She added grinning and he yawned exaggeratedly. It really was incredible how little had changed in all these years…

And then there were things that had changed a lot. He looked her up and down then, frowning. It wasn't like this formal costume didn't suit her, not at all! It was just… She didn't really look like herself at all. This formal outfit… In a way, it stirred awake this other darker part of him again. His brain then conjured up another of these fantasies that had tormented him the whole night.

He saw himself as he forcefully tore open her elegant blouse, saw him dishevel her stylish hair deliberately and saw his hands glide underneath her formal skirt, hiking it up all the way to her belly button and –

He tore his eyes away from her, panting slightly. This had to stop! It had to stop or he would go crazy, dammit! Apparently, it didn't really matter _what_ she was wearing…

"Let's get going then." she interrupted his improper thought, grabbed his hand and pulled him along. He was very aware of her hand in his and she didn't let go of him on their way to the bus station, at all.


	5. The bus ride

** Astrid **

Astrid was very aware of his hand in hers. She hadn't meant to take it, hadn't consciously decided to do so but as it was she didn't want to let go of him. It just felt so good, so right somehow. And he didn't seem to mind as well as he made no move to pull his away, either.

Neither of them said a word, though, even when they had to run the last part of their way to reach the bus in time, still hand in hand. Hiccup threw himself inside then and held the doors open for her. They were both laughing helplessly as they sat down in the last row of seats, earning some irritated looks from other passengers. Astrid couldn't care less.

"Okay, I'm officially impressed!" he stated, panting breathlessly from running and laughing alike. "Running like that in those shoes? Not bad, Ms Hofferson, not bad." He winked at her and she scowled.

"It's the costume, right?" she asked, suddenly worried. "Is it too formal? I thought I could at least try to leave a responsible and trustworthy impression. For whatever it might be worth…" she trailed off, suddenly self-conscious. She didn't want to admit this, but she still hoped for this job. When Hiccup didn't respond she looked up at him only to find him gazing at her, eyes clouded.

"It's perfect!" he said then, voice husky and in an almost dejected tone. She looked at him questioningly but he just shook his head. He drew his hand away from hers after all and she noticed it was shaking.

What was up with him? Why did it bother him all of a sudden when they were artlessly holding hands? Ah, but they weren't, Astrid had to admit to herself. They weren't kids anymore! And when she was honest with herself this touch hadn't been artless at all. She blushed as she realized just how... intimate this gesture had been. Hiccup made her feel like a teenager again, all hormones and craziness.

"So…" she tried to change the subject, or rather to start any conversation at all. "Where do you work, anyway? What are you doing for a living these days?"

She looked at him closely then, remembering how much he transmitted by gestures and facial expressions only. He pressed his lips together, obviously distressed over this question. Astrid felt sorry for him but couldn't understand how a simple question like this could cause these emotions within him.

"I'm working for my mother these days." He stated then matter-of-factly and she nodded. That sounded not so much out of the ordinary. Why-

Her eyes widened.

"You have a mother?"

* * *

** Hiccup **

"…For whatever it might be worth…" she trailed off and he gazed at her, thoughtful. She still was worried about her getting this job, which she so desperately wanted. He could have lightened her worries, could reassure her but not without giving away to much.

He knew she would get this job. In the end, it would be his decision anyway. If she really wanted this job, then he would make sure she got it. Even if that meant standing up against _the dragon_. But he honestly doubted that would be necessary. She _was_ perfectly suited and his mother would love her formal appearance. It was just something she constantly wished for from everyone in their department and only rarely got.

No, she would get her dream job. And his life would become so much more complicated…

He then noticed she was looking at him, expecting an answer, any reaction. "It's perfect!" He simply stated, voice husky by an emotional overload.

Whatever they had now, this laughing, joking, beaming at each other and holding hands… By the end of this day, he would be her boss and this had to end. He wouldn't be able to ask anything of her without it being an order at the same time.

She must have seen his inner struggle then for she looked at him questioningly, frowning, worried. But he couldn't exactly tell her what was bothering him and so he just shook his head and drew his hand back.

She retreated as well, leaning back in her seat and crossing her arms in front of her. That hurt… but it was necessary. It was better this way. Only yesterday he had wondered whether they could become friends once again but by now he was almost sure that the _more_ he had dreamed of was actually within reach. But it was impossible nonetheless.

"So, where do you work, anyway?" She suddenly asked. "What are you doing for a living these days?" Hiccup pressed his lips together to keep the sardonic laughter inside that threatening to leave him. That was just the right question right now, wasn't it? What should he say to this? He didn't want to start lying to her in addition to all the things he kept from her.

"I'm working for my mother these days." He stated as matter-of-factly as he could muster. This was true, at least. He saw her nodding out of the corner of his eye and hoped she would leave it then. But of course, that was not the case. She knew him like no other living person did.

"You have a mother?" She shrieked and got more than just a few baffled looks from their surrounding passengers for this. It was, of course, a strange question. Strange for everyone but the two of them.

And it wasn't funny, not at all.

"Well, yeah, apparently I have!" he answered then with a humourless laughter. "And she lived here, in this very town, for all these years!"

* * *

** Astrid **

Astrid stared at him, dumbfounded. Hiccup had found his mother? That was… fantastic! And he was working for her? Well, that didn't sound too bad, either. Why was he so bitter about it?

Of course, she knew that Hiccup had looked for his mother all his life, or rather, as long as she had known him back then. His father had died before he was born and he had been raised by his uncle and had always been happy there. But she knew that the thought of his mother, who hadn't wanted him, had always bothered him.

And here she was, worrying about her stupid job interview! He hadn't even said a word about this. No wonder he was so reserved. Knowing that his mother had been here all the time must have been a shock to him. They had often theorized that, maybe, she was some kind of secret agent and revealing her child would have only endangered him. Or she could have been working for Doctors Without Borders or some other organization with a noble cause that might have been more important in a way.

"Hiccup…" she reached out and laid her hand comfortingly on his shoulder. Awkwardness aside, this was her friend and he needed her.

And he didn't shy back as she had almost feared he would. Instead, he just dropped his head, elbows resting on his knees. "It's alright." He murmured. "We sorted this out a while ago. I won't pretend I understand or forgive her but… well, she has her priorities, I guess." He paused, then shook his head. "Anyway, after I finished college and… " he gulped. "and was looking for a job she contacted me, told me who she was and offered me a position. And now I'm working here, for two months now, to be precise." He finished and looked up at her with a small smile.

She didn't smile back. She just couldn't bring herself to do so. "That sound's awful!" she whispered but Hiccup just shrugged.

"I've always known she wouldn't be the motherly type or she wouldn't have left in the first place. So the only real mother I've ever know…" he paused again and averted his eyes. "The only mother I kind of had was yours. And I'll keep thinking of her that way."

Astrid took a ragged breath and looked up at the ceiling to hold back the single tear that threatened to ruin her Make-up. She would not cry over her mother or her parents in general. Not now, not later, not ever again. She had done so for a very long time but by now she had accepted their death, knew they wouldn't come back and only kept her happy memories of them.

No, the single tear that ran down her cheek now was not for her parents. It was for Hiccup and his loss.

"So, does that make you my brother then?" she asked shakily. If he thought of her as kind of a beloved sister, it surely would explain a lot. And if he did so it would probably kill her.

He then sat up again, abruptly, turned toward her and look at her intently. "No" he breathed. "No, it doesn't!"


	6. Too much adrenalin

** Hiccup **

He hadn't wanted to talk about his mother with her. Not today at least. But it had been a convenient distraction and she hadn't asked again what he and his mother actually did. Their conversation had turned to lighter topics thereafter, journeys they went on and places they still wanted to visit.

She told him of the varying jobs she had so far and the sheer bad luck she had on that topic. Hiccup began to understand why she put all her hopes into this job.

He avoided, however, to talk about his academic studies and everything related to it, least she would draw the connection between his studies of engineering science and the famous engineering company they were driving to, after all.

He also questioned her about her sports activities, which got her into a lively description of her latest vacation and her canyoneering experiences thereof. And her description alone was enough to make him worried already for her.

When they reached their destination then, Hiccup became nervous. He had a plan but it depended upon him running fast enough and a not to be underestimated amount of luck.

They agreed upon talking later that day some more and then he waved her goodbye as she went toward the main building. When she was well out of sight around a corner, he ran.

He ran around the very building she just had entered and used his high-level security card to open the back entrance. Then he sprinted along a few corridors and past startled people as fast as he could and reached his destination, the lifts. Now all he needed was a little luck.

There were two kinds of lifts here. Six normal ones and two high-speed lifts for the upper three floors. He _needed_ one of the latter to be available. Now!

He held his card in front of the scanner and sighed in relief when the device recognized it immediately. But then his face fell. One of the lifts was right at the top of the building on the 50th floor and the second was out of order. The Gods at work again…

But he still had a little time left. He had looked up which receptionists were on service this morning and knew, whichever it would be who escorted Astrid to her unexpected interview, she would be talking non-stop. Hiccup pressed the _CALL_ icon. "Please! Come on, please!" he whispered urgently. If she were to spot him here he had no plan B. In that case, he would tell her everything and deal with her wrath, that he had promised himself. The signal lamp jumped to green on the screen, indicating his call was received and answered. Entirely too slow for his tased, the high-speed lift came down. When the lift had passed the 20th floor, Hiccup heard the voice.

"…no mistake, Ms Hofferson, I assure you. We received the note from the highest office this morning. We are supposed to escort you to Mrs Dragonite as soon as you arrive."

10th floor.

"Are you sure? I never agreed to come here again. This is purely coincidental. Nobody here should know I planned to be here today." Hearing her voice made his heart leap but for once it wasn't in joy.

5th floor

"But you are here, are you not?"

With a _bing!_ the doors of the lift opened, Hiccup jumped in and pressed the CLOSE button several times. With unnerving slowness the doors obeyed and Hiccup stared at the ever-shrinking gap, terrified.

"Hey, Mister! Stop! Wait for us, please!" He heard the receptionist call out and pressed himself to the side of the lift, hoping she wouldn't spot him.

And then the doors shut and the lift started to move. Hiccup's head fell back against the wall and he laughed shakily. He had done it! He would have five minutes after he reached the top floor before Astrid would reach it as well in one of the slower lifts. That had to be enough.

When the lift doors opened, he hurried toward Heather's office immediately. Fortunately, she was even there and ready to listen to him as well.

"Heather?" he addressed her while knocking on the open door frame simultaneously. She looked up and smiled. "Hiccup? You're quite early. Is it anyone's birthday or did you get into mischief somehow?" She asked with a mischievous glint in her eyes herself and he flinched.

"Erm…" He brought forth, blushing.

"That was a joke!" She rolled her eyes at him. "Honestly…"

He shook his head to clear his mind. He wasn't used to this amount of adrenaline!

"Astrid- Ms Hofferson is on her way up here," he told her and she nodded.

"Yeah, the receptionist already called me. Your mother is going to talk to her right away."

Hiccup braced himself. "Could you… erm… not mention my name to her? Please? Like, at all?"

Heather smirked. "And how should I call you instead? Mr Chicken?"

"I-I really don't care! Just… don't mention my name. Please?" He was close to a panic. The lift could be here at any moment and he still needed to get out of here. But, apparently, Heather realized then how serious he was.

"Alright," she agreed. "I'll try."

Hiccup all but slumped down in relieve. "Thanks, Heather! I owe you!"

"Yes, you do!" she almost sang, grinning and he groaned exasperatedly.

After this encounter, he hurried past the lifts again and, after entering his and Fishlegs' office, slumped down into his chair. He'd done it! He wasn't worried for his mother to reveal him since she barely spoke out his name at all. Now it was all up to Heather.


	7. The Interview

** Astrid **

Astrid was confused, to say the least. She hadn't known how to go about this really as she had no appointment this time and had been thankful for Hiccup's idea. He'd suggested to simply go to the receptionists, to tell them her name and that she'd been there yesterday and only wanted to grab her jacket. She had done so or rather had tried to do so, for the two women had shared a knowing look after she'd introduced herself, had nodded to each other and now she was standing in front of a small army of lifts and waited.

The receptionist at her side sighed. "I'm sorry, Ms Hofferson, but we have to take one of these ordinary lifts today. I don't have a key card for these high-speed lifts." She threw a glance at her watch and then back to where they'd come from.

"I can make the rest of the way on my own if you need to go back." Astrid offered. "50th floor, right? I'll ask Ms. … Wind to call you to make sure I arrived safely." The receptionist blinked, startled at her knowledge of that name but Astrid _had_ been here yesterday, too, after all.

The other woman nodded then. "That would be nice. I'll just adjust the settings for your ride to be of high priority so you won't stop on every other floor." Astrid was relieved to hear this. Her ride down the day before had lasted almost half an hour because of this. So Astrid entered one of the fancy looking lifts and, after the receptionist had made a few adjustments, was on her way up again.

 _She was expected,_ they'd said… This had to be a misunderstanding, Astrid was sure. But she was also pretty nervous. Maybe…. Just maybe… maybe she would actually get a second chance! She fidgeted nervously and checked her appearance in the floor length mirror, again. No strand of hair out of place and no make-up stain to be seen, despite her small tear earlier. Astrid sighed, again, and waited.

When she finally arrived at the 50th floor, black-haired Ms Wind was already waiting for her.

"Ms Hofferson! It's good to see you again. Follow me, please!" Perplexed, Astrid did as she was told and followed the young woman through the broad office she'd seen only briefly the day before. On her way, she saw many startled faces staring at her. She hadn't gotten those yesterday. And there was another difference as well. Yesterday this had seemed like a normal office with the usual formal attitudes but today… she saw neither suit nor costume on anyone here. The most formal clothes were some jeans and a blouse, that under normal circumstances, could at best be described as playful.

"Ms Hofferson has arrived." Ms Wind announced after pressing a small button next to an impressive door and only moments later the answer sounded out of the loudspeaker above it.

"Thanks, Heather. Send her in."

Heather turned toward Astrid and, with a reassuring smile, said, "Good luck!" And then she opened the door to _the dragon's_ office.

Astrid's heart was pounding rapidly. She hadn't really expected to see this room ever again but now she was here and so was the young looking woman with the strangely old eyes.

"Ms Hofferson. Have a seat, please." Mrs Dragonite said and gestured toward a comfortable looking chair in front of the gigantic desk. Astrid sat down as indicated and took a deep breath.

"Mrs Dragonite, I wanted to thank you for seeing me once more." She said lamely but the other woman just nodded.

"If you believe it or not, you impressed me, Ms Hofferson. Your vita is interesting, to say the least, and it would have been well a shame to miss this chance because of a stupid man and his car." Astrid wasn't sure but she thought she saw a small smile tugging at her lips. "All your former employers agreed on the point of your responsibility and your free time activities if listed here correctly" she gestured to a file lying in front of her on the desk with Astrid's name on it. "is just what I was looking for."

Astrid's blushed then at these praises. She hadn't expected to hear _those_ from _the dragon._

"But you are not here to talk about your vita, I already read that one myself." Mrs Dragonite continued. "What I want you to tell me is simply why you think I should employ you for this position."

Astrid was hard pressed not to jump up and only mentally high-fived herself. She had hoped for this question, was prepared for it, even considered it to be the ace up her sleeve. She took a deep breath.

"Your advertisement for this job was an interesting one." She began and the older woman raised an eyebrow. "You were looking for a _personal assistant_ but required multiple athletic skills as well. That seemed odd to me at first but by now I think I know what you are looking for. You don't need another test pilot here, I'm sure you have plenty of those already. What you are looking for is an addition to your team, one who doesn't drown in theory but rather can practically test out your inventions, points out flaws and possibilities of advancement. Things one only notices by actually _using_ them." Astrid finished and held her breath. She knew this approach had been bold and maybe she would get thrown out for this in a moment. But she had to try anyway.

And to her great surprise, _the dragon_ smiled. "Very well considered, Ms Hofferson. And you think you are suited for a task like this. Why?"

 _And here we go again,_ she thought to herself. Out loud she said, "Because I've done something similar before. In middle school I had a friend-" The memory of Hiccup then made her heart beat a little faster and she smiled to herself. "He was kind of an engineer already then, always build these minor gadgets and all. In 8th grade then he participated in an invention contest but his contribution, a solar-powered drone, wouldn't work right. I helped him by looking at it from a different perspective, pointed out practical issues his theoretic mind couldn't see. And he won." By now she had a broad grin on her face due to this happy memory. She was startled out of it then when Mrs Dragonite started to sift through her file after all, apparently looking for a particular information.

"That's a nice story." She said, frowning unimpressed while flicking through the papers. Then her frown deepened. "There is no mention of this in your vita. Why?"

Astrid sighed. "Because that was his project and not mine. I just helped a bit. I don't deserve any glory for this and I didn't tell you this to claim glory, either. I told you this to show you that I can do this!"

The other woman was still flipping through the papers but then, apparently, found what she was looking for. "I see…" she murmured, more to herself, made a few additional notes and encircled two information. Her birthday and the name of her middle school?

"Well, you have convinced me!" Mrs Dragonite then stated, startling Astrid. "You are right with everything you said. So you're maybe even smart enough to keep up with the people around here. And no, this is not an insult." The older woman then got up and reached her hand out for Astrid. She hurried to her feet as well. "I think congratulations are in order, Ms Hofferson!" Astrid gaped at her for a moment, then smiled broadly and shook the offered hand.

"Thank you, Mrs Dragonite! You won't be disappointed!"

She smirked at that and sat down again at her desk. "I hope not! But I think you are mistaken. You won't be working with me." She said while browsing through Astrid's file again.

Astrid sat down again, too, confused. "Not? I thought… it said CEO, so…" she trailed off when the other woman looked at her again.

"That's right. You'll be working with my son, involuntary CEO." She paused for a moment. "You were right with your earlier assessment what this job is about. There is, however, one other part to this. I want you to keep an eye on him. He has a history of endangering himself…" She trailed off and looked down at her papers again, flicking through them to the last piece.

Astrid stared at her, perplexed. "So, I'm a babysitter?" she asked, incredulous, but the other woman just smirked.

"If that's what you want to call it." She said, distracted by the paperwork. She frowned down at the paper, thoughtful, added a strange symbol to it and then signed it. Then she stacked the papers back into the folder and gave it to her.

"Give these to Heather. She'll manage the rest." Astrid got up again, took the folder and turned to leave the office. When she reached the door, though, she heard the other woman calling out again.

"And Ms Hofferson? Welcome to Dragonite Engineering!"


	8. Heather

** Heather **

Heather Wind sat in her office and flicked through all of the latest applications that she would have to reject today. She sighed but wasn't all too sad about this, either. This Astrid Hofferson seemed to be an interesting person, to say the least. Of course, it wasn't official yet, as she was still in Mrs Dragonite's office but Heather had a good feeling about this.

Her application alone had attracted their all attention as it was the only one with the required physical abilities but when she'd arrived belatedly to her interview yesterday, Heather had all but written her off. Her curiosity was stirred even more when she got the order to call and invite her again in the afternoon.

Heather hadn't thought much of the timing of this order at that moment but now she wondered. Surely Mrs Dragonite's lunch appointment with her son had led to this. There was more to this, she just couldn't see it yet. Hiccup's call last night had confused and irritated her, especially because of the unfortunate timing thereof. She smiled to herself then at the memory.

But the oddest thing had been his behaviour just now. Well, Hiccup had always been odd, even odder than the rest of this crazy lot they called _the dragon's lair_. Of course, this nickname mainly meant this whole enterprise, but then _floor 50_ here was the heart of it all. The brain. The soul of the dragon, so to speak. She looked fondly through the glass walls out of her office. Without her help, her gaze wandered down the corridor to where Hiccup's and Fishlegs' office was.

Hiccup's request had been odd, really… Not to mention his name… Ms Hofferson would work for him, she was bound to know his name then. But he was sure to have his reasons. He always had, even though she barely understood any of them.

Why was it so important to him that his name would not be mentioned to her. Would his name _mean_ anything to her? Probably. So she knew him, then. But she obviously didn't know _who_ he was. Oh, this would be interesting, indeed. She grinned to herself and looked up at the hesitant knock on her door.

"Ms Wind?" The blonde asked cautiously. "I'm to give you these" She held up a folder and looked questioningly at her.

"Of course" Heather replied and waved her in. "Come in and would you please close the door? This might take a while." She took the folder and flicked through it. There was one page with additional notes, in red, she would have to look those up later when she was alone. The last page then was, as expected, signed by Mrs Dragonite and she looked up at the other woman. "Congratulations, Ms Hofferson. Welcome to the loony bin," she said, grinning. The other one looked at her, startled, and Heather chuckled.

"You're not one of these nerds out there." She nodded toward the row of offices. "You might as well know what you're bargaining for." Heather looked down again and produced a pile of papers from one of her drawers. She was, after all, prepared for this. "I need you to sign these. Just the usual, Work assignment, security advice, insurances, pay statements… Which reminds me… " She flicked through the folder again to the last page where Mrs Dragonite would have noted Ms Hofferson's payment. And stared at the symbol of a black dragon, curled in on itself.

She looked up at the blond woman again, who'd reached for the first papers on the stack and was reading through it. "Do you know what this is?" Heather asked and pointed at the dragon. But the other one just shook her head and shrugged.

"Not really." She admitted. "Mrs Dragonite added this right before I left." She said, distracted by reading on through the contract. Heather glanced down at the dragon once more and shrugged. Mrs Dragonite was sure to have her reasons for this decision. She got up and walked through the room to where a safe was hidden inside one of the closets, opened it by pressing her thumb and eye to the fitting scanners and took a small black plastic card out of it before she closed it again. She then walked back to her computer and registered the number engraved on the card within Astrid Hofferson's file and placed the card on top of the stack of papers that still needed to be signed.

It took some time as the blonde woman actually read through every paper but eventually, she was done and every piece was signed accordingly.

"What's this?" she then asked, eyeing the black card suspiciously and Heather smiled to herself. _Oh dear…_

"That is your payment, just like Mrs Dragonite had determined." She answered calmly.

"Is this a credit card?" the other one asked incredulously and Heather nodded. "Yes, it is."

"But… it's _black_!" she exclaimed and Heather nodded again. "Yes, it is." She answered again, hiding her grin.

The blonde then took a deep breath and deliberately laid the card back on the desk.

"That's… I-I can't…" she stared at the small card as if it were some gruesome spider. Heather smiled again. She knew this reaction all too well.

"It's not limitless." She reassured her. _Yet!_ She added in her mind. "Your position is a unique one and no one can anticipate right now how valuable it might be exactly." Heather picked the card up and handed it to her again. "Take it. If _the dragon_ thinks you deserve this then who are you to question her, anyway?" She added, winking.

Astrid Hofferson chuckled shakily then and took back the card.

"Who is this Mr Dragonite, anyway?" The blonde asked. "He must be a difficult person to work with, considering…"

 _Mr Dragonite?_ Heather thought to herself. That name was as good as any other, she supposed.

"Where is he, anyway? Is he here? I'd like to know with whom I'm going to work from now on." Heather pitied her somehow. She really had no idea what she gotten herself into. Out loud she said deliberately, "I have no idea where Mr Dragonite might be. I haven't seen him all day." _True!_ "But your schedule will begin on Monday and I guess you'll meet your boss then."

The blonde woman nodded thoughtfully and stood up. "Then we'll see each other on Monday, I guess." She said and Heather smiled reassuringly at her. "I guess so. And if there are any questions, please, feel free to ask."

This made the other woman smile brightly before she frowned slightly. "Actually, I have one already. Why is it that everyone here looked at me funny earlier. Yesterday they couldn't care less."

At this Heather laughed. "Yesterday was our official interview day." She explained with a bright grin. "They all had to dress up in reasonably formal cloth and expected strangers to walk in here. Today they are back to normal." The blonde woman stared at her, dumbfounded, and began to laugh, too.

"It must be interesting to work with these people" she mused and Heather couldn't agree more.

"Oh, it is!" She affirmed. "Better than any soap opera, in fact!" _And you only know the half of it._ Heather added mentally, smiling.

"Thank you, Ms Wind. For everything." She said and began to pack her things.

"Please, call me Heather. Everyone does and I have a feeling we have to stick together, you and I" The blonde nodded. "Alright, Heather. I'm Astrid."

Heather watched Astrid as she packed her things. She took her sweet time and had obviously a lot on her mind. Her expression changed from thoughtful to a dreamy grin and back again more than once and every now and then she would pause in her motions, stare idly into nothing or glance at the black credit card. Heather let her do so and kept flicking through the applications at hand. When Astrid stood up she had a thoughtful expression on her face.

"Can I ask you something else, Heather?" she asked, obviously still distracted by her thoughts. "Do you happen to know a Fishlegs Ingerman?"


	9. All in vain?

** Astrid **

Astrid was still in shock somehow as she packed her things. She actually got this job! This was… crazy!

Only 24 hours ago, her life had been pure misery, the chance for her dream job gone, not enough money to afford even small things and an idiotic ex-boyfriend to cry over. And today?

Today was just the opposite. She had the job, she had this terrifying black card and… She held still, heart swelling. And she had Hiccup. She hoped so, at least. She had noticed him looking at her, well, _like that_ , after all. Like this morning, when he had picked her up. She hoped at least that her interpretations were right.

She shook her head and kept packing. This was crazy! Just plain and simple crazy! They had only met yesterday and…and she already wanted to be with him. But that wasn't true, really. They hadn't simply met only yesterday. They'd known each other since they were toddlers, for Odin's sake. And now he was all she could think about. She found herself wondering where he might be and what he might do right now. And she wondered whether he thought of her sometimes, too.

Just thinking of him made her feel good, light. And she wanted to never lose this again! But somehow she had a feeling that ordinary _taking time_ wouldn't work for them. Not after all this time that had passed already. Maybe she was pushing her luck but she at least was ready for more than mere talking and idle holding hands.

But then Hiccup _had_ been acting reserved… Or… An idea occurred to her then. Hiccup had always been shy. Not when it came to her but in almost every other aspect of his life. But things between them were different now than they were ten years ago… Maybe he just needed a push in the right direction.

A plan began to form in her head. She would have to make preparations but… well, she had still the whole day off. And she would need to call Hiccup and make sure he would, in fact, be home tonight. It was, after all, Friday and he could have other plans. She smiled to herself.

And remembered he never gave her his number! _Dammit!_

Her face fell and her bright mood was dampened noticeably. She could prepare everything and simply hope he would show up. This was a night to celebrate after all! But… There really was only one person with whom she would _want_ to celebrate.

She could go and look for him but she had no idea, where he worked. At his mother's, great! She had no idea who his mother was, either. She knew, in fact, almost nothing about his current life. But only almost.

"Can I ask you something else, Heather?" she asked, thinking rapidly. She knew one thing that could help her now. She knew one of his friends and she knew where he worked. It was far-fetched since Dragonite Engineering was an incredibly gigantic enterprise but who but Heather could produce the information she needed right now? "Do you happen to know a Fishlegs Ingerman?"

The calm and confident woman in front of her, the person who probably kept this whole business running, stared at her, wide-eyed, dropped her pen and blushed fiercely. Astrid tried to hide an amused smile. This seemed to have been the wrong question and she could only think of one explanation, really.

"He's an old acquaintance of mine and I heard he works here, too." She explained to give Heather time to gather herself again. "I thought I could drop by and say hello." Heather still gaped at her but somehow the glint in her eyes didn't look like bashfulness. Not exclusively at least.

"Sure I know Fishlegs" Heather answered and rested her head on her arm, probably in an attempt to try to hide her smile behind her hand. "His office is actually here, on this floor. The last one to the left." She gestured into the general direction, still smiling.

"Great!" Astrid exclaimed, glad her luck seemed to last. "I'll go then. See you next week!" She waved Heather goodbye and left her office.

* * *

** Heather **

Heather was hard pressed to keep herself from laughing out loud as she followed Astrid with her eyes. Oh, how much she'd like to be a fly on the wall right now! But she would have to be content with Fishlegs telling her everything later.

Hiccup seemed to have put a lot of effort into keeping his identity from her, though, and now all this had been in vain.

Oh, but she wanted this entertainment to last. The poor lad deserved a warning.

* * *

** Astrid **

"Astrid?" She heard Heather call out after her and paused. "Tell Fishlegs I saw how late he was today. He'll have to make good for this later!" Astrid chuckled. Was this supposed to be some kind of code? But who was she to judge them…

"I will!" she called back and made her way along the corridor.

As she walked she noted the nameplates at each office door and looked half-heartedly for Mr Dragonites office. She supposed that would be his name as Mrs Dragonites son and CEO-to-be of Dragonite Engineering and Heather had used that name, too. She couldn't find it, though, but then he probably wouldn't have to share one of these double-offices. Maybe he even worked on another floor. Well, she would know soon enough.

When she reached the last office to the left she didn't bother herself with reading the nameplate as she could already spot a familiar figure through the open door.


	10. Duh~duh~duuuh

** Fishlegs **

That day, Fishlegs arrived late to work. Again! Not that it mattered, really. They had fairly flexible working hours here at _floor 50_ and no one was actually counting how many hours one spent here, as long as everything got done. _Creativity doesn't know time_ was a common saying here and their work was all about creativity, after all.

But he knew he would have to answer to one person at least for his late arrival. When he left the lift, he glanced at her office but she was busy talking to a slender blonde woman and so he made his way to their office instead. Hiccup was already there, which was, in fact, surprising. He was the biggest slugabed Fishlegs knew and that _really_ meant something.

Evenly surprising was the condition he was in, though. Because when Hiccup finally arrived to work he normally was nothing if not effective and motivated. But not today. Today he sat at his desk, face rested plainly on the table and when Fishlegs greeted him the only response he got was some unintelligible grumbling.

"You really should stay in bed, you know?" Fishlegs said and placed his backpack beneath his desk. With a groan, Hiccup sat up and glared at him.

"You know I'm supposed to be punctual." He grumbled and rubbed his forehead. Fishlegs gave him a pitying look and began to unpack his things. He didn't envy Hiccup his new position, not at all. Way too much responsibility for his taste.

"So, you're relocating next week? I wonder who's going to be my new partner here, then." Fishlegs tried anew to revive his friend but Hiccup only kept mumbling unintelligibly against the table.

"That table has no ears, you know? It can't hear you."

Hiccup got up again, exasperated. "I said" he repeated. "I won't be alive anymore by next week anyway. So it doesn't really matter to me."

Fishlegs shrugged. "That's cool. Hey, can I inherit your car, then? That would be awesome!"

Hiccup groaned. "Sure, keep it." Then he frowned. "In fact… I mean it. Keep it, for this weekend at least."

Fishlegs looked at him surprised but didn't say anything as he had wanted to ask for this anyway. "Growing fond of using the bus instead?" he joked. In his opinion, public transportation was one of the worst inventions, ever. But, apparently, Hiccup had another opinion on this topic, for _this_ finally made him smile. "Sort of…"

Satisfied with his efforts to cheer his friend up, Fishlegs retrieved his laptop and arranged it on the desk. "I think I saw your new assistant just now at Heather's. Congratulations, man. She's hot!"

"Oh, is she? Thanks for telling me, really." Hiccup's sarcastic tone didn't really fit his words and Fishlegs would probably have inquired after this if not for Heather's voice which was suddenly calling out throughout the entire corridor.

"Astrid? Tell Fishlegs I saw how late he was today. He'll have to make good for this later!" Fishlegs looked up in irritation. What was that supposed to mean? But he got no time to keep thinking about this for Hiccup suddenly became alive again as he practically jumped from his seat to stare at the open doorway.

"I will!" sounded another female voice along the corridor, and much closer as well, and Fishlegs saw Hiccup becoming pale as a ghost.

"No, no, no! Please!" Hiccup whined and looked around frantically.

"What's up, man?" Fishlegs asked but got no answer as Hiccup decided then to dive under his desk. There he rolled himself into a ball in the corner of the two closed sides thereof. "I'm not here! Whatever happens, I'm not here!" he gasped and all Fishlegs could do was stare at his friend in utter confusion.

A knock sounded from the doorway and when he looked up Fishlegs recognized the blonde woman who had been talking to Heather earlier. Hiccup's new assistant. Damn, he was a lucky guy! She looked... familiar somehow.

"Hey, Fishlegs!" She greeted him with a broad smile. A dim memory of last night rose in the back of his mind and banded together with what Heather had just called out.

"Astrid? Astrid Hofferson?" Fishlegs could hardly believe his eyes as he recognized her. The last time he had seen her she must have been around fourteen and, to be honest, had been quite a bitch.

"What are you- Oh wait! _You_ are the new assistant?" His eyes bulged. Combative Astrid Hofferson was supposed to assist Hiccup? That would be a great joke indeed.

"News go around, I see." She answered, slightly embarrassed. "But I still have to meet my new boss and I guess he would have the last say in it, so..." Fishlegs gaze wandered to Hiccup who still crouched beneath the table. Less than two yards away from Astrid, in fact, if one ignored the wooden sides of the desk. Hiccup stared at him, panicked and shook his head vigorously.

"Yeah, well…" Fishlegs said, unsure how to appropriately react. Gods, what was happening here?

"Ahm…" Astrid seemed likewise uncomfortable and rubbed her arm. "Yeah, I wanted… Well, I wanted to ask you something. And…" she trailed off and to Fishlegs' utter amazement, she blushed.

"Well this may seem strange to you, but…" she continued. "But..ahm… You know Hiccup Haddock, right? He mentioned you two were friends, yesterday. I need to contact him but I don't have his phone number. And I thought that, maybe… ahm… You could give it to me?" Fishlegs blinked. By now he was almost sure this was some version of Candid Camera. Was she serious? He looked again at Hiccup, who still stared wide-eyed at him but was nodding now.

"Sure…" Fishlegs said slowly. He got out his phone and told her the number. She seemed honestly relieved then and beamed at him.

"Thank you, Fishlegs! You helped me a lot. I guess, we'll see each other regularly now. Bye!" And off she ran without waiting for his response. He looked after her and still had absolutely no idea what had just happened.

"Oh, Gods…" Hiccup groaned from under the table and slouched against the wooden wall there, face buried in his hands.

Fishlegs then began to think.

"You know her." He states and Hiccup groaned a "Yes" in response. But that wasn't enough. Of course, he would know her, Fishlegs realized. She would be his neighbour now. He had totally forgotten about that. But that wouldn't explain what just happened, so there needed to be more.

"You know her _well_ , right?" He had a suspicion. "Yes!" Hiccup groan again and it sounded desperate this time.

"And she doesn't know you're her boss now" Fishlegs stated the obvious. But Hiccup answered nonetheless. "No…" He all but whined.

Fishlegs needed to think this through. He took into account all that Hiccup had just said and what she had said as well. He took into account what little he knew and remembered of her character and also how this might have changed during the last fifteen years or so. And he took into account the skills and abilities she must have accumulated since she, in fact, had not only gotten a second chance for an interview but had _gotten_ this job, as well. He took all this into account and there was only one outcome, really.

"You're dead, you know that, right?" Hiccup only groaned.


	11. Not today

** Astrid **

_Uhg_ _…_ _that had been awkward!_ Astrid thought as she hurried down the corridor. She and Fishlegs hadn't been the best of friends exactly. Being grown-ups now had turned this into one strange meeting. Astrid knew she hadn't been all that nice to the plump boy in the past. _Man,_ she corrected herself. They weren't kids anymore… And now they would have to work together. Maybe they would even become friends, she thought as the idea of a double date popped up in her mind. She chuckled. That would be an interesting thing, indeed!

When she reached the lifts, Heather approached her once more. "Is everything alright?" she asked with a strangely concerned expression and Astrid nodded.

"Yeah, of course. Oh, I forgot to deliver your message! But I guess he heard you calling out anyway." Astrid winked at the black-haired woman. Heather let her gaze wander down the corridor.

"I guess he did." She agreed with a sly smile. "Anyway, I forgot something earlier. I wanted to give you my phone number. Call me, if you have another question or a problem, whether it's related to your work here or not." She added in a kind voice which got Astrid grinning.

"You're more than just a secretary, right? I guess without you this whole enterprise would be ruined."

At this is was Heather's turn to grin. "Who knows?" Then she pulled another plastic card out of her back pocket and handed it to Astrid.

"Here, you'll need this, too." Astrid accepted it and took a look at it. It was an ID containing the picture of her application, her name and position and a QR-code beneath the black dragon, the logo of Dragonite Engineering. "It's your key-card. With it you can now come and go as you please and, most importantly, use the high-speed lift."

"Thanks!" Astrid said whole-heartedly. She turned toward the lifts, eager to begin her preparations. But then she paused and turned toward Heather once more.

"This… card. The black one… Do I have to register it somehow? And is there anything I need to get for Monday?"

Heather shook her head. "You'll get every equipment you're going to need here. Just be punctual. And no, you don't have to register it. It's already working." She added with a grin. Then she turned away and waved over her shoulder. "Have fun!"

When Astrid stood inside the lift she wrote a short text to Hiccup. Heart pounding she waited for his response and almost jumped when her phone rang before the lift reached the ground. His answer made her sigh in relief. She added a short note while she left the building and when his answer reached her then she knew she could set her plan in motion.

First, she needed to go shopping! She would need a whole lot of special ingredients she didn't have in stock. And maybe she would even run riot and buy some new clothes! A dress, maybe? She couldn't keep herself from helplessly giggling like a small girl at this thought.

For tonight, she would do everything within her power to seduce Hiccup!

* * *

** Hiccup **

Hiccup listened to Astrid talking to Heather, their voices sounding down the corridor toward him. He didn't understand what they were talking about, but he didn't need to. He just wanted to listen to her voice.

Fishlegs assessment just now was correct, he was as good as dead. A part of him wanted to jump up, run to her and tell her the truth. He didn't want to lie to her and no matter how she would react he wanted this to be over.

But that was only a small part of him and the by far bigger part was a coward. He had just found her again. He wasn't ready yet to lose her right away. But he had to tell her! He would tell her tonight. When they were in the solitude of their apartments where she could scream and cry without anyone witnessing it. He would be at her mercy but he didn't care. It didn't really matter anymore… He was hers, wholly and completely. He had always been hers which was probably why his previous relationships had never worked.

His phone rang and he scrambled to his feet to get to it in a hurry. Surely this would be Astrid! Gods, he was pathetic…

He looked down at her message, smiling wistfully.

_Hey Hiccup, this is Astrid._

_Fishlegs gave me your number, I hope you don't mind._

_I got the job, can you believe it! This is crazy!_

_I'd like to celebrate tonight, are you in?_

_A._

Right… This was her night of celebration, whatever it was worth… he typed in his response and pushed the send button.

_Hey, that's great! I'm really happy for you._

_And sure, why not. What do you have in mind?_

_H._

Only moments later her reply reached him and he stared at it and the small symbols at the end especially.

_Do you like Sushi?  
_

_A._

_XO_

Raw fish? He wasn't a particular fan of that. But his heart was pounding rapidly by now and it was her night, after all.

_Donno. I'll give it a try, tho._

_C U_

_H._

He lowered his phone and stared out of the door to where she had disappeared just minutes ago. He wouldn't ruin this night for her.

Tomorrow, he decided. He would tell her tomorrow.


	12. Preparations

** Hiccup **

When Hiccup was through with his working schedule for that day he was a mental wreck. He probably would have to repeat everything he had done that day sometimes next week, for he had been unable to concentrate even on the easiest of tasks. He would have to check every chart and every calculation for mistakes, and every sketch and draft he'd drawn had been uninspired and forced somehow. Not his most productive day, really…

Lunch with his mother hadn't been all that pleasant, either. Retrospectively he had to admit that talking about his feelings for her and Brenna Hofferson in comparison that morning hadn't been such a good idea. It had only added to this emotional rollercoaster he so desperately tried to restrain today.

And the fact that she had wanted to talk about Astrid hadn't been helpful, either.

* * *

When Hiccup entered the cafeteria, his mother was already there, as usual. He was belated again as he had dreaded the idea of meeting her today. But he had to get it over with.

She glared at him while he walked toward her, which was new, though. Normally she only got angry at him _while_ they were talking, not before.

"You know her!" she stated accusatory after he sat down and he groaned inwardly.

"I actually know many people. Who exactly are you talking about?" he replied, fully intending to irritate her further.

"Don't mess around with me, Hiccup!" she snapped. "You have been school friends, she told me so herself. And I even saw a prom photo of the two of you."

 _Dear Heather, always efficient._ He thought with a sigh. But why had _Astrid_ talked to his mother about him?

"Alright, I know her." He admitted. "So what? Is it a crime to know someone these days?"

She glared at him through squinted eyes. "Don't be stupid, Hiccup! You of all people should know how dangerous this might get. For you and for her alike." She pressed her lips together and closed her eyes.

"I've lost my appetite," she said after a few moments, got up and was out of the room before Hiccup understood what had happened. For once, he had no idea what she had been talking about.

* * *

He had been confused after this meeting. But even that hadn't been able to distract him for long. His thoughts kept circling around Astrid and how he dreaded and looked forward at the same time to them meeting again tonight.

This was going to be practically a date, right? Going out to some restaurant for dinner? Of course, it was possible she invited other friends as well, but somehow he doubted that. So, would it be only dinner? Or would they go to some club afterwards to celebrate further? Or into some bar? He actually wasn't so keen on both alternatives but when it meant he could spend time with her he would go along. Even though he knew all to well he shouldn't.

Fishlegs hadn't been helpful, either. Hiccup knew he should be glad to have a friend like him, who wouldn't tease or taunt him over something like this, who was actually worried about him, physically and emotionally. But he had been overly careful, had only spoken in a hushed voice around him and had made sure no one bothered him when it wasn't absolutely necessary. But he wasn't sick, for Thor's sake! This nervous behaviour had only served to make him even edgier.

And when Heather approached him while he waited for the lift to arrive he suspected she wouldn't be helpful, either.

"Hiccup? Do you have a moment?" Heather said and stepped toward him.

He looked up and gave her a thankful smile nonetheless. "Hey, Heather. Thanks again for your warning this morning."

"You're welcome." She answered but he could tell she had something else to on her mind.

"What?" He asked, anxious as he could already guess what bothered her.

"Tell her." She practically pleaded. "You're only making it worse the longer you keep this from her."

Straight to the core, as always. Once again he secretly saluted her for her observantness, although it wasn't all that helpful this time. "I already know that!" he said as calmly as he could muster. "It's just not that easy."

"I know. But I've seen all these pictures of the two of you today, and-"

"Oh, right. Thanks for that, by the way," he grumbled but she just ignored him.

"-and I understand what she means to you, who she is! But this will only backfire. And you know that!" With these words she turned and walked away, leaving him to his thoughts.

No, Heather really hadn't been helpful. This encounter had only served to heighten his nervousness.

And even though he knew he wouldn't spend the time on the bus with her this time he was glad to have left his car with Fishlegs. He wasn't sure whether he would have made it back in one piece if he had to drive himself. He scoffed at this thought. _Yeah, right. Too late, anyway._

When he finally arrived at their apartment building he was staggering as to how to proceed. He didn't know what to expect now. Would she wait for him? Would she expect him to pick her up? They hadn't agreed on a time or anything. He could text her again but that seemed foolish when he could simply knock at her door instead. By the time he reached his apartment doors, his hands were shaking vigorously. And there he found the letter, tugged beneath his door. It read:

_Come over, whenever you're ready._

_I'm waiting._

He took a shaky breath while looking over at her door. It was left slightly ajar. What was this about? He took the time to change into fresh cloth and then almost stumbled in his hurry to get out and to her apartment, eager to see her again.

* * *

** Astrid **

When Astrid finally reached her apartment after an efficient and productive shopping tour she paused to plan out all the things she needed to do.

She desperately needed to tidy up the living room. Or better the whole apartment, one never knew. She picked up every magazine and catalogue and stacked them neat and tidy so they would fit into the drawer where they belonged. Every barbell and all the rest of her equipment went into her training room, least she suspected that would be the one room she wouldn't need today. After hoovering properly she placed the cushions on the floor by the low table and was satisfied for now.

The next thing she needed to attend to was their food. Various ex-boyfriends and the occasional colleagues had assured her that she was absolutely and utterly unable to cook. Astrid could accept that. Many said the way to a man's heart is through his stomach, but there were other ways as well. And at least there was this one dish she actually was fairly good at preparing. So she seasoned and boiled the sushi rice and sliced the fish while the rice cooled down again. She had thought about how complicated she should design their dinner but had decided to keep it simple. The food wasn't the main part of this night, after all.

By now it was already late afternoon and she wasn't sure when Hiccup would return from his work. So, to be on the safe side, she decided to change and prepare their drinks later.

While walking through the shopping arcade, just like the day before, she had seen this dress in one of the display windows and had known this one was for her. It was dark blue, just like her costume, but far from formal. Very far! It was strapless so she wouldn't be able to wear a bra beneath it which was just fine for today. And in addition is was tight-fitting and ended well above her knees. She would probably never be able to wear this dress again as it was way to scandalous for her taste to be worn in public but as long as it served its purpose today she was fine with that. Finally, she then unbraided her hair and bound it into a loose knot she would be able to open with one movement only.

As she examined her reflection then she blushed as all her plans finally sank in. She'd never before gone so far when it came to appealing to a man. But somehow this was necessary this time. She wanted to give him everything, wanted to prove to him that she meant it. She took a deep breath. She could do this!

She made some final adjustments, left a note for Hiccup at his door and rearranged a few lamps in the living room.

And then she waited.


	13. I should go

** Hiccup **

The instant Hiccup opened the door to her apartment he knew this was a very bad idea! The entrance room was dark but he saw a faint light coming from the doorway to the living room. This did not seem like she was waiting for him to pick her up. She was simply waiting for him.

Maybe, if he'd thought about it more deeply, it would have been possible to turn around and go away at that moment. But he didn't want to. He was tired of thinking through every possibility. For once he just wanted to let things _happen_ , to not think about them, to take whatever life threw at him.

When he stepped into her living room he found it just as empty as the day before and yet it had changed a lot. The orderly chaos of daily life was gone and the room looked neat with everything at its place. The low table, however, was set for two and he stepped toward it to take a closer look. There were two plates and lots of small bowls a.d there was no cutlery but only chopsticks.

So, they wouldn't go to a restaurant after all… _Dammit_!

This was a bad idea. He should go. He should go immediately, give her some excuse, _any_ excuse, really. This was a completely different situation than he had bargained for and a horribly potent one, as well. He knew his feeling and wasn't all that sure he would be able to contain them in a setting like this. Hel, they wouldn't even sit in the rather formal kitchen with the table between them!

Panting slightly, he backed away. He should go, right now. He should-

"Hiccup!" he heard her surprised call and knew it was too late to simply leave again. He turned toward her but was startled as she hurried past him to place two glasses with colourful drinks on the low table. He eyed the cocktails worried. This was getting worse by the minute.

"Alright," Astrid said, satisfied with her work. Then she turned around and beamed up at him. "I'm glad you came!" she stretched and threw her arms around his neck, drawing him into a tight embrace. Hiccup return it reflexively and only then noticed how very much of her skin he touched thereby.

Holy Helheim, what was she wearing?

His heart pounded rapidly and he pushed her back to arm's lengths to look at her, determined to keep his eyes on hers.

"Sure" he replied, trying to keep the strain out if his voice. "I said I would, didn't I?" He glanced meaningfully at the table. "Although I thought we would go out. What exactly is this anyway?" he asked, trying to sound playful, indicating the cocktails. "They look dangerous!" This at least wasn't so far off.

Astrid chuckled. "I tried a few Japanese-themed cocktails to go with the sushi. This one turned out to be the best, in my opinion."

At this, Hiccup raised an eyebrow. "You tried them? As in you already drank a few?" he asked amused, but his worries grew. Astrid, however, only laughed.

"Not completely. I just sipped on them… a couple times." She winked at him. "Stay right here, I'll get the rest." She said and returned to the kitchen.

He really should go! A tipsy Astrid was probably even more dangerous than a sober one. And her dress… Hiccup closed his eyes and took a deep breath in an attempt to calm himself. He'd allowed himself a quick glance when she'd left for the kitchen and, Gods, it seemed like she wanted to torture him deliberately.

Astrid returned with a tray full of small morsels made of rice and slices of fish and placed it on the table as well, on the last available space, in fact.

"Hungry?" she asked over her shoulder from the bend over position she was in and Hiccup swallowed. "Do I have a choice?" he asked shakily and she grinned. "Not really."

They sat down and Hiccup tried again very hard to keep his eyes away from her body. That became easier as he'd thought, though, when he began to eat. Or tried to do so.

"These don't work!" he exclaimed miffed and dropped the chopsticks when he continuedly was unable to deliver one of the sushi pieces to his mouth. It looked easy the way Astrid did it but he simply couldn't copy her, his mind not able to work right at the moment.

She grinned at him. "What were you doing all these years if you don't even know how to use chopsticks?" At this Hiccup pressed his lips together, worried but fortunately she didn't notice.

"Here, let me show you." She said and scooted closer to him. Very close!

"You hold your hand like this." She reached out in front of his chest to place her hand next to his.

"Then you hold the lower stick like that" She reached with her other arm around his to place the stick accordingly.

"and the upper stick like that." Hiccup wasn't listening anymore as the position she was in made her press her breasts against his arm. Holy Freya, was she doing this on purpose?

"See? It's easy." She finished her explanation and beamed up at him.

"Yeah… easy… sure…" he stammered, flushing.

Astrid grinned at him. "Or you can simply use your hands" she stated and backed away again to take a sip of her cocktail.

Hiccup stared at her, slightly panting but tried to not let her see how much her closeness affected him. He mustn't give in to her flirting, for that's what she was doing obviously. He reached out for his cocktail as well, desperately needing something to dampen his dry throat. And one sip wouldn't be able to do that much damage, right?

He was actually pleasantly surprised by the cocktail. It tasted like coconut and mango and seemed to have only very little alcohol in it, if any. He took another sip, a bigger one, and smiled. "This is really good!" he stated.

"It is, isn't it?" Astrid answered and smiled right back at him.

* * *

When they were done eating Astrid cleared the table and prepared the second turn of cocktails for them both before she sat down on her cushion again.

They spend hours talking to each other than, joking and laughing. Astrid, who'd probably noticed his anxiety, had asked about his day. She'd been very hesitant, careful even, as if afraid to remind him of his mother again. Hiccup played along as it gave him a good excuse to change the subject.

He asked after her interview instead and Astrid told him of how it was actually their teamwork in 8th grade that had helped her convince Mrs Dragonite of her suitability for this job.

Hiccup wanted to laugh out loud at the irony of it but refrained from doing so. Of course, his mother would have known immediately who Astrid's friend back then had been. The famous junior engineer who had gotten a scholarship after his success at this invention contest. No wonder this story had fetched his mother's attention for her.

They also talked about what they'd been doing after High School and Astrid had again dived into lengthy explanations of her various adventures. Hiccup refrained from giving detailed accounts of what he had been doing during the last ten years, though, and only told small and meaningless stories, mainly to make her laugh. Her pure and unaffected laughter was one of the most beautiful sounds he'd ever heard in his life.

And Astrid was torturing him. He was by now sure she did this completely deliberately and on purpose but that knowledge wasn't helping. Not at all. The way she moved and turned whenever she got up to refill their drinks or get some chips, displaying her glorious body in just the right angles. How she _accidentally_ brushed against him now and then, caressed him idly and even gave him a peck on the corner of his mouth after he said something sweet he didn't remember anymore thereafter. She did all these things to fluster and arouse him, he was sure of that. And a very demanding part of him wanted nothing more than to give in to her attempts.

He wanted to touch and caress her, wanted to taste the skin on her neck and wanted to listen to her making these small noises, curious as to whether she'd sound like the Astrid in his dreams. And the fact that she was _very_ obviously wearing no bra made him curious whether this was the same for-

"I should go now!" Hiccup brought forth, tearing himself from this enticing line of thoughts. He didn't want to leave her with only some trivial excuse but this was getting dangerous. Maybe they could go this road sometimes in the future. Maybe she would forgive him for manipulating her into becoming his subordinate someday and maybe, if she would still be interested in him, maybe this could actually happen. But not like this, not now, not without her knowing the full extent of their connection right now.

He tried to get up, head spinning lightly. So there had been alcohol in these drinks after all! His leg gave way beneath his weight, not responding to him correctly anymore, and he landed with a groan on her couch instead of standing upright.

Oh, that was just great. How was he supposed the leave now? Astrid wouldn't help him there, he was sure of it.

"Already?" she asked artlessly and stretched, arms far behind her back. Hiccup couldn't help but stare at her, heart racing and throat once more dry as parchment. She was so incredibly beautiful and apparently well aware of that fact. She threw him a smouldering look, got up and walked toward him, hips swaying enticingly and he was for once unable to tear his eyes from her or to make any move at all. He couldn't even run from her now, with his leg not reacting properly, even if he had wanted to.

"I don't want you to go" she breathed as she leaned over him, her hands resting on both sides of his head against the backrest. He gazed up at her, close to panicking as she practically crawled on his lap, straddling him.

"Aah-Astrid… ahm… w-what…" he feebly tried to stop her but to no avail. And who was he kidding? He didn't want her to stop! The hem of her dress hiked up slightly as she lowered herself onto him and he began to pant.

Oh, Gods… he was doomed. She was… Gods, she was so close, so incredibly…

She was gazing down at him, searching his eyes for what he did not know. He needed to stop her, had to tell her, before…

"Astrid, I… I have…" – "Sshh" she interrupted him by placing a finger over his lips. "It's alright…" she whispered and leaned down to kiss him.

The instant their lips touched his mind went blank. He had dreamed of this moment for almost his entire life and now she was actually kissing him! It took the entire amount of his remaining willpower to hold still, to keep himself from reaching up for her, to hold her tight and draw her closer and closer until she was pressed flush against him. His hands were shaking with the effort but he had to stop this, he… had to… stop…

* * *

** Astrid  **

"Sshh… It's alright…" she cooed to soothe him. She'd seen the longing in his eyes and wouldn't stop now.

She'd noted his reactions to her teasing for the entire evening now and was convinced that he wanted her just like she wanted him. Whatever it was that held him back, it wasn't important now. Maybe it was his shyness and insecurity, maybe it was something else, she didn't really care right now. They could sort it out another time.

She leaned down to kiss him then like she'd imagined doing quite often and on various occasions in her life.

His lips were just as soft as she'd imagined and the light stubbles on his chin were an enticing contrast to it. She could feel that he was still holding back, though. But he wanted this, too. She heard the low moan coming from his throat and although he didn't move otherwise, she noticed him leaning into their kiss ever so slightly.

She retreated to look at him again. If he really didn't want this then she wouldn't force herself on him. It was after all possible, that she misinterpreted the signs. But he made no move to hold her off and his clouded green eyes were full of the same longing and adoration she felt, too, and she could also _feel_ his desire…

She reached down to take his hands that were trembling vigorously and, without taking her eyes off of his, placed them on her hips. Her heartbeat quickened when she felt the heat radiating through the thin fabric. She felt his defences crumbling when he began to move his hands over her body, desperately. His fingers were urgently digging into her flesh but she didn't care.

Because then his resistance finally vanished, he pulled her down to him and this time, he kissed her back.


	14. Awakeining

** Hiccup **

Hiccup was dreaming again. Another one of these fantasies that plagued him ever since he read her name in that blasted folder. This one was a much calmer fantasy, though.

He was lying in a soft bed and felt as relaxed and serene as he hadn't felt in a very long time, if ever. Through his half-closed eyes, he saw the light of the early morning sun drawing strange patterns through the curtains and against the wall. And he felt _her_ lying next to him, just as relaxed as he was. She was snuggled up against him, her head resting on his shoulder and her arm resting on his chest, where it drew small circles over his skin. He hummed contently. This, for once, was a fantasy that wouldn't haunt him painfully, he mused.

"Good morning, sleepyhead" she murmured and his eyes flew wide open. _This was no fantasy!_ he realized as he heard her drowsy voice. He got up with a start, sitting upright in an instant and looked around, bewildered. Astrid, toppled over by his sudden movement, chuckled.

This was not his bedroom, not even the new and still unfamiliar one in his new apartment! This was _Astrid's_ bedroom! Memories then flooded his mind, memories of their evening, the sushi and the multiple cocktails, the talking and… and of her kissing him, of them making out on her couch and, after she helped him go there, later doing even other things on her bed. Especially those last memories still burned vividly in his mind.

"Oh, Gods…" he groaned and let himself fall back into the cushions again, face buried in his hands. This should not have happened! He would be a dead man, well even more dead, as soon as she found out.

"Actually I thought it wasn't _that_ bad…" Astrid said, miffed, and when he looked at her he saw her pout and turn away. Hastily he scrambled around and toward her.

"No, that's… that's not what I meant, Astrid! Please, I… oh, Gods…" He noticed her shaking and panicked. Was she crying? He was so stupid!

"I'm sorry, Astrid!" he pleaded. "Of course it wasn't bad! It was… Gods, this was probably the best night of my life!" He scooted closer to her and placed his hand carefully on her arm. "Astrid, please…" he tried to turn her shaking form around, to catch a glimpse of her face, fully expecting it to be tear-streaked already. But instead, he saw her biting her lip, desperately keeping herself from laughing out loud.

"Oh, you…" he exclaimed and she wasn't able to contain herself anymore. Her laughter rang through the room, crystal clear and beautiful.

"Your face just now…" she gasped, shaking violently with a new wave of laughter. "That was… Oh, that was just priceless!"

"Oh, just you wait!" he pulled her toward him and began to tickle her mercilessly, pinning her to the bed beneath him and straddling her so she couldn't kick him, accidentally or intentionally.

"No, no, no, Hiccup, stop!" she cried but he took no prisoners as she fidgeted beneath him helplessly. "No, you – regret this – Aaah – stop – please – stop!" she screeched and he finally gave in to her pleas. He caught her hands, though, and pinned them to the bed next to her head, least she thought of immediate retaliation.

They stared at each other than, both panting and wide awake.

"That wasn't very nice." Hiccup said in a playfully offended voice and Astrid gave him an apologetic look.

"Then let me make it up to you." She proposed. She bit her lower lip and, with a suggestive glint in her eyes, bucked up her hips against his, ending their playful bickering effectively.

Some time later they were once more lying cuddled together in a tight embrace, with Hiccup nuzzling her behind her ear occasionally to make her hum while his hand wandered leisurely up and down her body. He still could hardly believe that all this was truly happening. Astrid lying peacefully in his arms and them basking in each other's closeness. This had always been some kind of dream to him and now that dream had come true.

But as much as he enjoyed this situation, he knew in the back of his mind that it couldn't last. He couldn't hide this secret forever. He would lose her again and the mere thought made his heart shrink and involuntarily he drew her closer toward him, subconsciously trying to keep her.

"Mmh?" she stirred out of her daze and turned to look at him. "What's wrong?" she murmured drowsily. This could have been it, the right moment. She had asked, he only had to answer. It would be painful for the both of them, but that was unavoidable anyway.

But Hiccup couldn't do it. He wanted to enjoy this moment just a little longer.

Just a few minutes longer…

* * *


	15. A secret revealed

** Astrid **

Astrid was in Valhalla. Her plan of the previous night had worked out perfectly, better even than she had dared to hope. This night with Hiccup had been very… _intense_. And her fears he could rebuild his defences in the morning had been thoroughly squelched by their little bickering and everything that had followed, as well.

Now she was lying in his arms again, feeling safe and warm, and couldn't be happier. She felt him stir behind her again, his roaming hand holding still over her stomach. With a smile she prepared herself for yet another turn, when instead of arousing her further on, he just drew her closer toward him, making a strange strangled noise in the process.

He had done similar things during the night as well. Whatever had made him holding back yesterday was still bothering him. If only he would tell her…

"Mmh…? What's wrong?" she asked, still drowsy. She could practically feel his mood shifting, darkening, and wanted nothing more than to lighten it up again.

But Hiccup didn't answer. He just held her even tighter for a moment before he eased his grip on her again.

Is was frustrating, really. She could tell something was bothering him. But as long as he didn't tell her what it was she couldn't do anything about it. She could only hope that he would make up his mind and tell her on his own when he was ready. And until then she could only try to cheer him up or distract him.

There had been something else last night… something she hadn't understood. Something he had never mentioned in any way, and yet… It had been painfully awkward for him when she practically had to carry him, that much she had noticed. But she still didn't understand why that was necessary.

"Hiccup?" she asked hesitantly. "Can I ask you something?" His reply was instant. "Anything!" but she could hear the strain in his voice, and chickened out.

"What happened to your hand?" She'd seen the cut on his palm before but somehow never asked about it. It had never seemed important enough, their shared time too valuable for unimportant questions somehow. But a moment later she was glad to have asked for Hiccup began to chuckle.

"I cut myself, two days ago." He explained amused. "I'm surprised you didn't hear me curse afterwards."

Baffled, Astrid turned around in his arms to look at him. "That was _you_?" she squeaked and he nodded guiltily. For a moment she just blinked at him, but then she pulled her arm back and gave him a good punch on the arm.

"Ouch! What was that for?" He howled but she could see his fond smile due to this familiar interaction.

"That was for waking me up!" she explained, miffed, but couldn't keep the smile off her face either. She had after all promised herself to do just this in case she ever found out who had woken her up.

"What did you really want to ask?" he inquired after a few moments and Astrid pressed her lips together. Sometimes he really was too observant.

"What happened to…" she began hesitantly. "To your leg last night?" She didn't need to explain further for Hiccup grimaced instantly. She waited, not wanting to push him as she could very well see how this upset him.

After a while, he exhaled deeply and nodded. "I'll show you…" He said reluctantly and pulled his arm carefully from under her head to sit up. She did likewise, for once wrapping a blanket around her body.

Hiccup then pulled his left leg forth and placed it in front of her on the bed for her to examine. "What do you see?"

What she saw? She saw his leg. It looked natural, normal, ordinary. Except… She drew herself closer toward it and there it was. A faint scar running in a straight line around his leg, just below the knee. Now that she saw this she noticed that the skin below this scar look… off, somehow. It was slightly paler and too smooth to fit the rest of him.

She reached out with her hand but hesitated and looked up at him. "May I?" she asked and he nodded. Ever so carefully, her fingertips touched the strangely smooth skin and traced it down toward his ankle and Hiccup shuddered. Then she took her whole hand and repeated the motion. It was strange, the skin really was too smooth and way too cool to belong to a living human being. And the leg was hard! Not rock-hard as the skin gave way to pressure but it was still too hard.

Whatever this was, it wasn't natural. Her first instinct was to shy away, to retreat her hand immediately. but she kept herself from doing so. Whatever this was, it was a part of Hiccup. She could now accept or reject it, there was no in between.

She kept her hand still on this strange leg and looked up at him again. "What happened?" she asked, whispering. Hiccup closed his eyes and exhaled unevenly. It took him some time but finally, he opened his eyes again and looked at her with utmost adoration for a moment.

"It was an accident" He breathed shakily and Astrid crawled closer toward him, reassuringly. "They couldn't save the leg so they…" he gulped and she took his hand to intertwine her fingers with his. "But I was lucky…" he continued after a short pause. "I got this rather advanced artificial leg. It contains a… bio-computer of some sort and is linked to my nerves and my bloodstream. It took some training but by now I can use it almost like it's my real leg. I could even go to the beach and hardly anyone would notice" he joked half-heartedly.

Astrid could only gape at him. She had never before heard of anything remotely like this and she was sure it would have been mentioned in one of her magazines. Accidents and missing lips weren't that uncommon in extreme sports, either.

"That's…" she was at a loss for words.

"Awful?" Hiccup suggested but she shook her head.

"Awesome!" she continued but cringed immediately. "I mean… not that with your leg, but… You know… This thing! It's awesome! Advanced, you called it? Futuristic is more likely, I mean…How many of these things exist already?"

He shrugged. "I'm not sure…" he admitted hesitantly. "As far as I know it's probably unique"

Astrid nodded. "A prototype then, that makes sense." Then she frowned. "But what happened last night? Why wasn't it working anymore?"

Hiccup blushed fiercely at this question. "Erm… it's… well... It kind of… can't hold it's liquor. It... interferes with the transmission..."

Astrid stared at him and blushed, too, as what he said fell into place. "The cocktails…" she whispered and he nodded. "Oh, I'm so sorry, Hiccup! I didn't know! Wh-"

"Exactly, you didn't know so don't blame yourself, alright? I did know and choose to drink them anyway." He paused for a moment. "And I would do so again." He smiled and reached out for her. She reacted instantly, crawled toward him and let him kiss her, though for once rather innocently.

"Wait!" she tore herself away from him as she remembered something else. She reached over and stroked the leg once more and Hiccup closed his eyes.

"Can you feel that?" she asked disbelievingly and Hiccup nodded. "Sort of." He specified. "It not exactly the same but, yes, I can feel you." He smiled at her lovingly and asked carefully, "It doesn't repel you? That I'm practically a Cyborg?" She thought about that and then shook her head. "You're still Hiccup, right? And it could be worse, you know?"

At this, he raised an eyebrow questioningly and she grinned.

"You could be a vampire!"


	16. A busy day

** Hiccup **

Hiccup could still hardly believe it. She hadn't been repelled by his leg. She had even called it _awesome_! And her first question had not been what _that thing_ was but what had happened to _him._ Gods, she was incredible.

Astrid's reaction to his biggest secret had been far better than he had ever dared to hope for. Logically he should assume that she would take his other secret equally lightly but somehow he couldn't believe that.

There still were significant differences between those two.

He kept his leg secret from practically everyone. In fact, she'd been the first person ever to whom he had deliberately revealed it. She probably hadn't seen it as offensive that he hadn't told her earlier especially since he had done so the instant she'd asked about it. And that secret didn't affect anyone, really. He often feared that it might repel others but he didn't feel so himself. As strange as this was, it still was a part of him, in every sense of the word. In any way, this didn't affect anyone who didn't know about it.

When it came to their jobs, however, things were reversed. Aside from her, practically everyone knew how they were connected already. Only she was kept in the dark deliberately and on his request nonetheless. And in opposition to the leg, this _did_ affect her, in _every_ aspect of her life.

Hiccup remembered how she'd looked two days ago on the bus. Tear-streaked, slumped down and miserable. He didn't want her to ever return to this state but he feared this was unavoidable, and it would be his fault. Her work, her home and probably her heart as well, he had invaded everything.

He _had_ to tell her! And he had intended to do so multiple times that day already but it was jinxed. Every time he began to gather his courage she approached him again, kissed or caressed him suggestively or did other things to thoroughly turn his thought on other topics. And to say he didn't like that would be an egregious lie.

But he couldn't keep putting it off like this, it would only get harder. Right now she took a shower after she been through her daily training routine. How she'd still been able to do so was a mystery to him, however. Maybe he hadn't been thoroughly enough to-

He shook his head. _Focus!_ He mentally berated himself. He couldn't effort to be distracted like this now.

"Hiccup?" her voice sounded from the bathroom door and he turned toward her, noticing with a mixture of relief and regret the towel around her body. "I just realized we have to leave the house today after all." She declared with a humorous glint in her eyes. "I don't think there's any reasonable food left here, we probably should go over to the grocery store. And taking a walk might be not the worst idea anyway. Getting some fresh air…"

Grocery store… right… he had to attend to this too. And he needed to firmly separate their shopping. He wouldn't allow his food of all things to remind her of him as well when all this was over.

With a start, he realized that Astrid was standing right in front of him. Her smile had vanished though and when she looked up at him he saw the worries plain on her face.

"What is it?" she asked, eyes pleading.

His heart started to pound rapidly. Now or never. This was a horrible moment to tell her with her completely naked beneath this towel and the shopping they both had to do anyway, but… Well, there would never be a _good_ moment, so he might as well get it over with.

He took a deep breath, preparing himself to practically rip out his own heart. "Astrid, I… I wanted to-"

He was interrupted then by her ringing phone. "Wait a moment!" she turned and hurried toward it. Hiccup stared after her disbelievingly. _Saved by the bell_ … He slumped down on the couch, hyperventilating, and ran his fingers through his hair. Gods, almost...

"Hey, Heather!" he heard Astrid answering the call and turned to look at her. She began to towel herself dry while she listened to whatever Heather was telling her. His heartbeat quickened and his throat went dry again at the sight of her and he turned away again.

"Alright," he finally heard her say. "I'll give it a look… later. Thanks for your efforts, anyway. See you!" she walked around the couch toward him. "That was someone from _the lair_. She's going to send me a few of my future projects so I can prepare myself for Monday."

 _Yeah, right!_ Hiccup scoffed. _Thanks for the not so suitable reminder, Heather…_

Astrid sat down on his lap then, just like she had the night before. "What was it you wanted?" she asked amused while brushing her lips along his jaw, effectively wiping his mind from every coherent thought.

Instead of giving any vocal response he reached around her and drew her down into a lingering kiss.

* * *

** Astrid **

In Astrid's option, this day had been perfect! They hadn't _done_ anything except going for an unhurried walk to the grocery store together but they'd been quite _busy_ nonetheless.

She smiled down at Hiccup's peaceful face, already fast asleep by her side. He had still been bothered by something occasionally today, worries plain on his face but as he'd never made a move to talk to her about it, she figured it would be something personal. Maybe still something about his mother or maybe something else entirely. In any way, she had settled on distracting him whenever he got that gloomy expression on his face which had worked out pretty well.

But now this perfect, busy day was over and Astrid nestled down beside her sleeping lover, cuddling up against him and closed her eyes.


	17. New plans

** Astrid **

When Astrid woke up on Sunday morning she felt sore and spongy, but in all the good ways entirely. This night had been far more restful than the night before and she felt relaxed and ready for the day. Carefully she got up and left the room on tiptoes only as not to wake Hiccup. Reaching the kitchen, she prepared herself a coffee, lots of sugar with a drop of creme, and sat down in the living room to check her emails on her laptop.

Heather had sent her a few of the upcoming projects on her new, triple-saved email account and Astrid wanted nothing more, then to give it a look. She hadn't dared to do so yesterday as those surely were confidential and she wouldn't want to lose her new job right away, just because she'd let her boyfriend take a look at them.

Boyfriend… After a day like yesterday, she felt safe to call him that. It really had been a perfect, lazy, busy day! But for today she had other plans. She wanted to go out, to do something, to spend time with him with their clothes properly in place, to talk and laugh with him.

She remembered the fleeting idea she'd had on Friday and grinned to herself. Maybe it wouldn't be fair in a way, but… Well, it would be an interesting constellation, to say the least! She could probably call Heather right away and ask her if they were in for a double date but decided against it. She wanted to ask Hiccup first. He would be the only one not working at _the lair_ then, which surely would have been an appealing option for him as well, considering his past interests in engineering and inventing alike. But his work for his mother kept him probably from applying there. Mmh, she still hadn't asked what exactly he was doing there, but she didn't want to approach the topic of his mother again. It really seemed to bother him greatly.

Anyway, she herself wouldn't be that much of an experienced employee of Dragonite Engineering, either, so he wouldn't be all alone on that part. And he was friends with Fishlegs, after all, maybe even knew Heather as well. And she considers Heather a friend already, too. Or she was sure they would become friends soon, at least.

The longer Astrid thought of that idea, the more it appealed to her. She was still set on asking Hiccup first but was sure she would be able to convince him anyway.

She was in her kitchen again, preparing a new coffee when she heard the door to her bedroom. "Good morning!" she called out cheerfully and chuckled when she only got an unintelligible grumble as an answer.

"How do you want your coffee?" she asked, hoping his mood would lighten up with some caffeine.

"Strong, blonde and sweet" came his reflexive answer from the doorway and Astrid blushed.

* * *

** Hiccup **

Hiccup woke up in Astrid's bed again and when he opened his eyes he saw how the door fell shut behind her. He could have gotten up, too, but he needed a moment for himself. He needed to think.

Almost for his entire life, he had dreamed of being with her. Not just sharing her bed and holding her in his arms but rather the whole for-life thing. Truth be told he hadn't really known what it was he was wishing for and therefore it had been fairly easy to accept the fact that this dream would always stay a dream.

But now, after yesterday and this night they'd spend peacefully sleeping in each other's arms, now he knew. And he wanted it all, and badly so. The thought of giving up this life with her was almost more than he could bear. And yet he knew it would end, and soon, too. All that was left were about 24 hours.

Hiccup learned something new about himself while he was lying there in her bed. He learned that he had a selfish part in him! Because if he couldn't have this whole life with her, he at least wanted these 24 hours.

He would tell her tomorrow before they would leave for _the lair_. Then she could decide, whether she wanted to go there at all, that day or ever. He then could make arrangements if she didn't want to work for him, rearrange schedules or something.

But this day at least would belong to them.

He got up then, determined to not waste another moment of this day and followed her. When he entered the living room, she wasn't there but he heard her calling from the kitchen.

"Good morning"

Hiccup mumbled to himself, wondering how one could be this cheerful this early in the morning but she must have heard him for she started to chuckle. He walked toward her, while she asked: "How do you want your coffee?"

"Strong, blonde and sweet." He answered reflexively and grinned when he saw her blushing. He stepped closer toward her, stopping right behind her, and placed a lingering kiss on her neck.

"But don't bother yourself with the coffee, I'll take this one." He murmured against her skin and she laughed shakily.

"No, no, now it's breakfast time!" she held him off playfully. "Go and make yourself comfortable. I'll be there in a moment."

With an artificial pout, he retreated, went back to the living room and sat down on the couch. His gaze fell on her laptop display, where he recognized an all too familiar file cover. Frowning, he stared at the drawing, one of his own in fact, and growled. _This_ would be one of her first projects? That had to be a sick joke! She couldn't-

"Hey!" she squealed and closed her laptop without shutting it down properly. "That's confidential, don't get me fired before I even started!" He looked up at her with an apologetic smile, but apparently, she could see through that.

"Well… just forget what you saw, okay? And don't talk to anyone about it." She backpaddled. "This is important to me, alright?" Hiccup looked at her thoughtfully and nodded. "Alright!" he agreed. But he would not forget this and he _would_ talk about it! Someone was in for some trouble for this!

They ate their bowls of cereals and drank their coffees, all while talking lightly and fooling around a bit but when they were finished, Astrid's face became serious.

"So…" she began hesitantly. "I thought we could go out today, what do you think?" She beamed at him and he was unable to disappoint her at that moment.

"Sure, way not. Any ideas?" he asked. It didn't really matter to him what they were doing, as long as he was with her.

"I thought about maybe a double date with Fishlegs and Heather."

Hiccup choked on his coffee.

* * *

** Astrid **

Astrid watched Hiccup choking on his coffee and smiled, a bit puzzled. What was so out of the ordinary about that?

"What?" he croaked after a few moments and looked at her disbelievingly.

"What? Too early for a double date? I thought it could be fun." She shrugged, suddenly self-conscious. He hadn't been secretive when they went to the grocery store yesterday but maybe this wasn't as official as she'd thought after all.

"No. no, that's…" He reassured her but interrupted himself. "Fishlegs and Heather?"

"Yeah, Fishlegs and Heather. Oh, Heather is the secretary at Dragonite Engineering and –"

"Yeah, yeah, I know who Heather is… Fishlegs and Heather? Really?" He blinked a few times and then began to laugh.


	18. Double Date

** Heather **

Heather sat at her breakfast table and flipped through the newspaper, bored by today's event list. It was a warm and sunny spring day and she wanted to _do_ something! She spent practically all her time in her office, she wouldn't spend a day like this inside, too.

"How about the cinema?" Fishlegs suggested. "There is this new Marvel movie with – okay, okay, I got it. Outdoor activity… yay…" He backpaddled after she threw him a dark look. She really loved Fishlegs but sometimes the Geek was too strong with this one.

 _Oh,_ _Gods_ … She rubbed her forehead. Had she really just thought that? This was obviously infectious.

Suddenly a squawking melody sounded from Fishlegs phone and they both looked at it in astonishment. "Super Mario Land…" he mused. "That's… Oh, Gods, that's _Hiccup_!" He scrambled up to answer it while Heather tried to hide her grin behind her hand. Only Fishlegs would assign individual tunes to _every_ number and would first try to remember who's tune it was before he actually answered it!

Mmh... But when Hiccup was calling… Right now this would probably mean some major incident, considering his current predicament. She really was curious as to how this whole situation with Astrid Hofferson would evolve.

On Friday, she had spent several hours sifting through old newspaper articles and school magazines and had even hacked a few virtual photo albums to gather some information about the connection between Mrs Dragonite's son and this new addition to their team. And what she'd found and read between the lines had been enormous.

These two had known each other practically since they'd been baby's, growing up in the same neighbourhood. Her father and his uncle had been co-workers and friends and more often than not her mother had looked after them both. Throughout their entire schooldays, they'd been practically inseparable and many comments in school magazines and beneath photos of this time hinted that at least everyone around them had known they were in love with each other. The prom photo, which she had given to Mrs Dragonite, had seemed like a proof that they actually had been a couple, but Heather doubted that. There had been other hints, again hidden in comments and she also remembered what Hiccup had told her himself all these years ago. She hadn't understood it back then, but now she saw the connection.

Their meeting again now probably really was some twisted joke to amuse the Gods.

"Double date?" Fishlegs squealed and Heather perked up, amused as her boyfriend kept talking. "Erm… yeah, we… I mean… WHAT? Erm… And by _girlfriend_ you…ahm… mean the girlfriend/assistant/killing machine you were hiding from two days ago? … Okay, okay, just… wanted to make sure…"

Heather's phone rang and she checked it without missing out on anything Fishlegs said. But then she saw, that it had been Astrid who'd texted her. She read:

_Our boys are cute, don't you think?_

_R U interested in a double date?_

_Lunch at Carlo's?_

_A_

Heather laughed silently to herself and threw Fishlegs another glance. He was still talking to Hiccup without any measurable progress in their conversation. She typed in a short answer and pressed SEND.

_Sure, we're in._

_We'll pick you up at 11:30._

_H_

This was just what she'd been looking for today. Some funny entertainment and maybe the chance to influence one brilliant mastermind for his own good.

"Erm… Heather?" Fishlegs addressed her and she looked up again. "Hiccup asks whether we would want to-"

"Tell him to ask Astrid, we already planned everything. And tell him I said hi." Fishlegs stared at her dumbfounded but delivered the message.

After he had laid the phone aside, Fishlegs sat down at the table again. "And what have you two planned?" he asked carefully.

"We'll eat lunch together, the four of us. Pizza. We'll pick them up before that. Since it _is_ , in fact, Hiccup's car and all…" Heather explained. She was looking very forward to this meeting.

"Huh…" Fishlegs grunted… "What do you think, when had he noticed this about us?"

Heather tried to hide her grin. "Actually I don't think _he_ noticed at all."

* * *

Heather had gotten another message just minutes ago.

_She doesn't know._

_Please, don't let anything slip._

That was all it had read and the meaning was obvious. She would brief Fishlegs about not to spill the beans as well. Although with all these additional information she gathered she regretted having given Hiccup the called out warning on Friday. She hadn't known just how complicated all this would be. Maybe things would be way easier if Astrid had simply walked in on him then.

During their preparations for this double date, Heather managed to slip an envelope out of her briefcase and into her purse. It was crumpled and obviously some years old already. This, she'd found last Friday and it, too, was heavily linked to all of this, if she guessed correctly. Maybe it could serve as a reminder, at least.

Fishlegs hadn't noticed and if it was up to her it would stay that way. He and Hiccup were best friends but there were spots in Hiccup's past even her boyfriend didn't know of. And Heather feared that some of these things might boil up in the very near future again.

* * *

When Fishlegs stopped the car close to his old home, Heather had already spotted Hiccup and Astrid. _newly enamoured couples…_ she chuckled and rolled her eyes.

The two were entangled in each other's arms, leaning against the wall of a nearby building and were kissing passionately.

"Urg…" Fishlegs grunted. "Will you go and separate them or do I have to do that?" Heather grinned.

"I wouldn't expect something like this of anyone…" she stated and leaned over to honk, twice.

They watched with gleeful satisfaction as the lovers flinched and looked in their direction, obvious embarrassment on both their faces.

"You're a genius!" Fishlegs said with adoration and relief and Heather's lips twitched into yet another smile. Fishlegs then was about to clear the driver's seat but Hiccup gave him a small sign and open the rear door for Astrid and himself.

"You two!" he called out immediately. "will have to answer for this! Keeping me in the dark like that. I thought we were friends!" He glared at them with mock anger and Fishlegs fidgeted.

"Yeah, sorry man, but…" he trailed off when Heather turned in her seat to give Hiccup _the_ glare. _Look who's talking!_ it said and Hiccup was silenced at once.

Fishlegs drove on and she turned back to the front. In the rearview mirror, she saw their two passengers locking their lips again immediately and she smirked. They really were cute but knowing that Hiccup still hadn't told her the truth made her angry. She would need to have a serious talk with him about that!

* * *

 

**Hiccup**

Hiccup was unable to let go of her. Whenever he got the chance he locked his lips with hers and held her hand in his otherwise. And while they were eating and had needed both their hands, he had scooted close to her on their bench so that their legs and feet would touch occasionally. But now she was gone.

Wistfully he looked after her retreating figure as she made her way to the ladies' restroom. He had to admit this double date had been a lot of fun so far but now he braced himself for what was to be unavoidable.

"Why haven't you told her already?" Heather hissed and Fishlegs nodded reproachfully.

"Because it's not that easy!" he tried to defend himself but Heather only shook her head.

"Sure it is." She scoffed. "One can use his mouth for other things as well, you know? Like talking. Just go and tell her."

Hiccup pressed his lips into a thin line. He _had_ tried to do just that. But Heather probably wouldn't understand him.

"Or I can do it if you don't have the balls to do it yourself!" she continued, a provoking glint in her eyes.

"No, you won't!" he glared at her. This was his mess, he would clear it up himself.

"Oh?" she inquired. "And how are you going to keep me from doing so right away? Would you follow me even to the ladies' restroom?"

His face darkened. "Consider it an order if you must! You won't tell her!" 

At this, her and Fishlegs' eyes widened alike, though Heather recovered far sooner. "As you wish, Mr Haddock," she replied acidly, and he sighed.

"Listen, I _will_ tell her, alright? I promise! Before we go to _the_ _lair_ tomorrow, I'll tell her. But, please, let me do this myself. She deserves this much at least…" Heather pressed her lips together but nodded. Then she turned toward her boyfriend.

"Legs, could you go and order me another coke, please?" she asked. He threw her a surprised look, then his gaze wandered to Hiccup before he nodded. "Sure…" he said and got up. Hiccup looked at her with raised eyebrows and watch as she sifted through her purse and finally produced a crumpled piece of paper. When he recognized the envelope with the familiar handwriting on it, he gasped.

"Where did you get this?" he asked, voice shaking, and tentatively reached out, not quite touching it.

"They brought your stuff from the archive for your new office. This came right along with it, wedged between two boxes. It fell out and I recognized it immediately."

Hiccup finally stroked the name written there with his fingertips like he had done a thousand times before. His lifeline, his light in the dark.

"Don't make the same mistake again," he heard Heather's voice as if from afar.

"Mmh…" his response came slowly. "Who assigned the _Dragonfly_ project to her anyway?"

"You know who."

* * *

Hiccup returned to their table after paying their bill. He had needed a little space after this talk with Heather and desperately so. She had taken the envelope back as he had been unable to keep it, but simply knowing it was there, it still existed…

His hands were still shaking and even more so when he found Astrid sitting with the other two at their table again, laughing and smiling brightly. Yes, he had made a mistake back then, he saw that now. But now things were different. There was no easy solution like simply sending a letter to solve his problem.

"Mr Ingerman!" he heard Fishlegs mock interpretation of his mother's voice when he stepped toward the table and winced. "If you don't stop right now, I'll have to remove you!" Fishlegs finished the story and the two women laughed wholeheartedly.

Hiccup placed his hands on Astrid's shoulders and she looked up at him, beaming.

"Shall we go?" he asked and everyone nodded.

"Thanks for picking up the bill." She said. "But you didn't need to do this. I have my own income now, after all."

"I can afford it." He answered and kissed her lightly, having missed her already.

"Okay." She gave in. "But next time it's my turn, alright?"

"Sure" he agreed with a sad smile. If only there would be a next time…

On their way out Hiccup took her hand again while Astrid turned to Fishlegs and Heather. "Can I ask you another question? I know, it's Sunday and all, but…I'm just so curious!"

They shared a knowing look and nodded. Despite her effort and former intentions to not talk about their work too much, Astrid had asked a lot of questions already. And who could blame her? She often threw him apologetic looks because of that but he had reassured her that it was alright.

And it was. Heather and Fishlegs had been good and hadn't let anything slip and even answered obviously evasively whenever the topic came to her boss-to-be, making it a kind of joke to keep her in the dark.

"Why is it," she asked. "that Mrs Dragonite calls everyone by their last name and only Heather by her forename? I mean, that seems a little odd, don't you think?"

"Loony bin, remember?" Heather answered and the two women laughed at their in-joke.

"That's probably because she knows how valuable Heather is" Fishlegs explained with a fond smile toward his girlfriend. Then he frowned. "But you're right she hardly calls anyone by their forenames." Hiccup bit his lip at that and saw his friends exchange a knowing look.

"As far as I know... " Heather said hesitantly, throwing Hiccup a careful glance. "There is only one other person she ever calls by his forename, and even that only rarely. And that would be her son."

Hiccup closed his eyes, pained. As if he needed another thing on his mind right now. A reminder, that his mother seemed to value Heather more than him…

"Arg, the mysterious son again!" Astrid exclaimed. "I swear, if you don't stop mentioning him, I'll go crazy!" She gestured toward the park on the other side of the street. "Let's have a walk over there. And maybe some ice-cream later?"

* * *

** Heather  **

By the end of their double date, Heather hoped more than ever that Hiccup and Astrid would be able to sort things out and soon, too. It had been a wonderful thing to do something together like this with a lot of laughter and fun. And it would even be more relaxing when they wouldn't need to be on guard about what they said anymore.

Their stroll through the park had been funny, too, though for altogether different reasons and she guessed aside from herself no one of their group had noticed any of this. Fishlegs had been occupied with his gigantic portion of spaghetti ice and Hiccup and Astrid hadn't noticed anything besides each other anyway. Which was exactly the point.

Watching the other people's reactions to these two being so obviously deep in love had been hilarious.

There had been these boys who had alternately cheered Hiccup on and begged them to get a room. There had been the dark-haired man who had glared at them for their improper behaviour. And there had been the girls how had glared at Astrid with obvious jealousy. All in all quite entertaining.

Yes, she really hoped they would be able to sort this out… for all their sake.

* * *

** Hiccup **

By the end of the day, Hiccup was desperate. It had not been enough! He wanted, _needed_ more time with her. But he knew there would be no further delay. Tomorrow she would learn the truth and as much as he hoped she would be able to forgive him he highly doubted it.

He had lied to her throughout these two wonderful and intense days. She probably would have been able to forgive him for becoming her boss. Maybe she would have been able to forgive him for manipulating her into this position. But lying straight to her face while spending the whole weekend together? Lying while joking and laughing and talking all the time? Lying while intensely making love and multiple times, too? No, she wouldn't forgive that.

He held her in his arms, exhausted and drained in more than one way, and an all too familiar self-loathing began to rise inside him. His weakness had come in his way to be with her… again!

He drew her even closer, shaking violently. Tomorrow everything would be over.

But when he woke in the morning, Astrid was gone.


	19. Day of Wrath

** Astrid **

Astrid had to reevaluate the estimations, she'd made Saturday night. That day hadn't been perfect. This whole weekend had been wonderful with being with Hiccup all the time and their more than successful double date.

But it hadn't been perfect. Something about Hiccup had been off somehow. Yesterday he had still been hesitant, hadn't started anything on his own with her. She'd thought that was because he was still insecure in a way or that whatever it was that bothered him occupied his mind greatly.

Today had been different, though. Today he had been anything but hesitant! He had used any and every chance to kiss, to touch or to be close to her. She would not have thought much of it, would have assumed he grew accustomed to their relationship, if not for the pained, almost tortured expression he almost always got thereby. Something was wrong, something he wouldn't tell her.

And right now it was especially bad. She could feel him trembling against her back, his arms around her tightened. Hel, she could even hear him whimpering! And yet she knew by now he wouldn't tell her what tortured him like this. If only he would tell her…

Some minutes later he had calmed down and she heard him breathing steadily, finally fast asleep. A relieved sigh escaped her for at least in his dreams he seemed to be safe. She so dearly wished he would trust her enough to let her battle his demons with him. But as it was, he didn't… yet. She had to believe he would do so someday, and soon hopefully.

She had only gotten a brief taste of how life with him could be. Of how it would be to go to bed with him and wake up next to him again in the morning. Of how it would be to share simple and complicated meals alike, of how they would spend their boring daily life together just as much as enjoying going on a date and meeting friends together. And she wanted this life with him…

Thoughts like these kept her up for some time longer until she decided to get up once more, unable to relax and sleep right now. Ever so carefully she peeled herself out of his embrace as not to wake him again and sneaked out of her… their bedroom.

Once in the living room, she tried to think of what to do now. She desperately needed to distract herself somehow, occupy her mind with other topics. Her eyes fell on her laptop which she had shut so hastily in the morning. Looking through her files for tomorrow could be just the right thing to keep her thoughts from wandering over to her bed again.

She sat down on her couch then, laptop balanced on the backrest and opened it again. The response was immediate, the display lit up and she saw again the cover image of the so-called _Dragonfly_ project, an artful drawing of a wingsuit in use. The artist had added additional lines to depict the undepictable, wind and speed. The signature was an undecipherable mess but whoever had made this, he knew what he was drawing. He must have experienced this himself, she guessed, to have such a precise feeling for this. Gods, how much she wanted to do the same! Just looking at this drawing made her eager to attend to this project especially. It had been, after all, the main reason she had applied for this job.

A small smile crept over her face then. No, that was not true. It had not been the main reason. But she'd been successful in banishing the main reason out of her thoughts least the memories would be too painful for her. Astrid looked up at the bedroom door again. How much things could change in such a short time…

With a wistful smile, she closed the _Dragonfly_ file and looked for another one. Heather had told her earlier she had prepared a timetable for her first days so she wanted to take a look at that. Apparently, she would share her office with her boss as they were supposed to work closely together and would spend a great part of the next week with organizing and arranging said office. Though what exactly she was supposed to do there she didn't know. She was no engineer and although she'd learned how to code and use other advanced programs for graphic and design she didn't really believe she would have much say in these things.

Another point on Heather's timetable, the first for tomorrow, in fact, was a fitting for all the different gear she would need to use. This now was something she was looking forward to. She was experienced when it came to this kind of gear and equipment and yet she expected to have her mind blown by the high-tech gear she would be able to use from now on. Mmh… Heather had scheduled this fitting for an hour only. That seemed to be rather insufficient for all the different gear that was listed here.

Frowning, Astrid thought about that. She was sure this fitting would need much more time then Heather had planned. To her defence, this was probably not something the _floor 50 department_ normally bother itself with. But her first official meeting with her boss was planned directly as the second point on her list. And she really, really, really didn't want to be late for that!

Astrid bit her lip. Of course, she and Hiccup had planned to drive to their respective workplaces together again, but if she really did this, she _would_ be late for this second point on her list. So she would have to take an earlier bus.

Again, she looked up to the bedroom door. Hiccup was anything but an early bird and it wouldn't be fair to wake him one or even two hours earlier just so she wouldn't be late to her appointment. She didn't like the thought of leaving without saying something, of him waking up with her gone, but that still seemed to be the best way. And they would see each other after work again anyway.

So, Astrid changed the time for her alarm on her phone and the signal to vibration only, knowing that would be enough to wake her from her light sleep and finally went to bed as well, full of anticipation for the upcoming day.

* * *

When Astrid took her seat on the bus the next morning, she was still very tired. It had still taken some time for her to finally fall asleep last night and raising two hours early hadn't been helpful, either. But she had her coffee and an hour's time to wake up completely.

She had left a note for Hiccup on his pillow, explaining to him why she was already gone, why she hadn't woken him up, how she hoped he would forgive her for this and how she was looking forward to meeting him later again. That had to be enough… Maybe she would call him later, during her lunch break or so. She hadn't liked to leave without a word. That had seemed rude somehow, and then she didn't know in which mood he would be today. Would he be better or worse? Would he maybe even talk to her about his problems today? She really hoped so!

The bus ride was almost uneventful and Astrid was already gathering her jacket and backpack to leave at the next station when they suddenly stopped. Another traffic jam, great! Another accident from what she guessed and by the number of audible sirens and ambulances passing them it probably wasn't just a smashed car this time. Anyway, it only cost her ten minutes and then she was finally able to use her new key-card to call the high-speed lift. It made her giddy to be able to do so even though she knew it was childish. She reached _floor 50_ then with a wide grin, walked over to Heather's office and knocked on the open door.

Slightly startled, Heather looked up and her jaw dropped when she recognized Astrid.

"Good morning!" Astrid greeted her cheerful, wide grin still in place while the other woman still seemed to need a few moments.

"Astrid!" she finally greeted her back. "What are you doing here, this early I mean… and…" Heather looked around and into the corridor behind Astrid. She mumbled something incomprehensible. Then she added: "How are you today? And Hiccup…?" she trailed off, again searching the corridor.

"I'm fine, a little tired maybe" Astrid replied. "But I really wanted to be punctual, I'm pretty sure this fitting might take longer than planned." She added with an apologetic smile. "And I haven't seen Hiccup, yet. He was still asleep when I went. Didn't want to wake him just to say bye, you know" she added belatedly and Heather nodded, frowning.

"I see…" she answered, thoughtful. "Well, why don't you get yourself a new coffee over in the break room." She pointed to a colourfully decorated door halfway down the floor. "While I make a quick phone call. Then I'll show you the way to the training room for your fitting, alright?"

Astrid agreed and walked down the still fairly empty corridor toward the indicated door. As she was about to close the door behind her she heard Heather yelling angrily, probably into her phone. Whatever that poor guy did to incur her wrath like this, he was surely doomed, she thought to herself, chuckling.

The fitting then went uneventful and took, as expected, way longer than just one hour. About two and a half hours later, Astrid was on her way back to Heather, nervous for the next point on her list. She found the black-haired woman in front of the lifts, glaring angrily at the closed doors while the signs indicated it was on it's way up.

"Hey, there you are" Astrid called out for her and Heather whirled around, eyes wide in shock.

"Astrid!" she choked and threw a quick glance back to the still closed silver doors. "Hey, why don't you… erm… get another coffee, or…" A BING sounded from the lift, announcing its arrival and Heather flinched, defeated. She looked up then when the doors opened and Astrid followed her gaze, curious as to why her friend looked so miserable because of an arriving lift.

To Astrid's surprise, and not an unhappy one, Hiccup then left the lift. He looked pale as a ghost and was frantically looking around until his gaze fell on her. Astrid beamed at him and walked toward him to greet him.

"Hiccup, what are you doing here?" she said and gave him a light kiss on the lips while he only stared at her. Maybe she really shouldn't have left without a word… But who would have thought he would show up here just to see her.

"Astrid!" he grasped her arms tightly. "I… oh Gods, I'm so, so, very – "

"HICCUP!" sounded an angry call through the corridor and Astrid flinched, just like everyone around her as well. She turned to see Mrs Dragonite glaring at her. It probably wasn't the wisest thing to bring her boyfriend here, and on her first day nonetheless. But…

"Hiccup! In my office at once!" She ordered. But how did she know his name?

Hiccup then walked past her, brushing her arm lightly. "I'm so sorry, Astrid!" he whispered shakily and followed Mrs Dragonite into her office.

Astrid's eyes widened in shock as everything fell into place.

_Because there was only one other person she ever called by his forename… And that would be her son._


	20. The Dragon's Wrath

** Hiccup **

"I'm so sorry, Astrid!" he whispered and reached out for her, to hold her, to apologize, to explain, anything. But he saw his mother glaring at him and ended up only caressing her arm lightly before he walked past her. He had no right to do any of these things anyway, not anymore.

He had wanted to be there, to do all these things as soon as she learned the truth. He had even wanted to be there so she could hit him and yell at him and do whatever she needed to do to make it easier for her. And in a way he had even kind of wanted to endure every punishment she'd seemed fit, knowing he deserved every bit of it and even more.

But he couldn't stay with her now. His mother was furious and he had to face her least _the_ _dragon_ would direct its wrath toward Astrid instead.

Gods, this day was a disaster! Waking up to his alarm without her lying by his side had been a surprise, but she could have woken up on her own after all. Searching her apartment and not finding her anywhere had made him worried. Finding her small note on the bed then had made him frantic. He hadn't known _when_ exactly she had left so he had gotten ready in a hurry, hoping to still meet her at the bus station. But then Heather had called and had yelled at him for three minutes straight and he'd known he messed it up.

She had called Fishlegs to pick him up so he wouldn't need to wait an hour for the next bus and then spend another hour on the ride, though that had been pointless, anyway. They'd spent 2 freaking hours in this new traffic jam instead and Hiccup was close to walking the rest of the way on food, had he not known the distance was far too great for that. He had cursed this accident then, that had caused the traffic jam. Sure, it appeared to be a horrible one with many people hurt, badly even, and maybe even worse but all he had been able to think about was how this stupid accident made him late again, to…..

To do what? He hadn't known really what he wanted to do when he would reach _the_ _lair_. Find her, talk to her, apologize and maybe beg… But he had only been in time to run into her, completely unprepared, to have her kiss him in front of his mother and now he would have to face _the dragon's wrath_ in all its glory.

Hiccup caught a last glimpse of Astrid when he was about to close the office door behind him. She stood there, utter shock and disbelieve on her face as she stared after him, and he saw Heather placing her hand carefully on Astrid's arm. _At_ _least_ … he thought with relief. At least Heather was with her. He closed the door then and turned toward _the dragon_.

Right now she deserved this nickname more than ever, fuming and eyes blazing.

"What was that?" she inquired, shouting. "Heather assured me you two were just friends. I would never have employed her if I had known this!"

Hiccup tried to be as calm as possible, which wasn't much right now, to be honest. "Well, we were just friends on Friday." He stated, hard-pressed to keep the emotional overload out of his voice. They had never been _just_ _friends_ , really…

But his mother just stared at him even more for this, disbelief and disappointment clear on her face.

"And you have nothing better to do then to start an affair with your new assistant over the weekend?" she exclaimed. "You can't be serious! Have you ever heard of responsibility? You-"

"She's not!" he interrupted her, growling through gritted teeth.

"What?" her voice was hard as iron, eyes squinting suspiciously.

Hiccup took a shaky breath. "She's _not_ an affair!" he clarified and his mother's eyes widened.

"You love her…" She whispered and it was not a question.

Hiccup hadn't yet thought of it like that. But hearing her say it out loud… Yes… Yes, he loved her, with every fibre of his being. Whatever that was worth…

He hadn't answered out loud but apparently, there was no need for that with his feelings plain on his face. "Gods, Hiccup, how can you be so stupid! Haven't you learned anything from the past? This job is dangerous! I already gave her a black dragon card, when I heard you two were friends at school, but-"

"You did _what_?" Now it was on Hiccup to yell and his mother flinched. Was she serious? Did she really mean what she just said the way it sounded?

"I gave her a black dragon card. As payment for her service. I thought as your friend she'd at least deserve this, for..." she trailed off and bit her lip.

"You think simply paying her more rectifies everything? I know you assigned the _Dragonfly_ project to her. _Why did you do that?_ " Hiccup was furious now.

His mother straightened up again and glared at him. "Because that's what I hired an assistant for you for!" she stated coolly. "I won't allow you to risk your life _again_!"

"But it's okay for you to risk the life of others? To risk _Astrid's_ life?" he asked disbelievingly.

"I have my priorities."

Hiccup could only stare at her. This was the first time she'd ever shown any signs that she cared for him in any way. But now he wished she would not have done so.

"How can you do that?" he inquired, utterly shaken.

She crossed her arms in front of her. "I won't let you take a risk like that yourself again. Not after what already happened to you and your father." She said in a grim voice.

"My father?" he blinked in confusion. "What does he have to do with this?"

His mother glared at him. "Don't play me for a fool, Hiccup. Not about a topic like your father's death…"

He froze, unable to react in any way. "My father's…" he uttered dazed. "But Uncle Gobber said it was an accident. That no one was to blame... What does he have to do with this?"

She stared at him, thunderstruck, and he saw how she began to shake violently. If it would have been any other person or even another situation he would have gone to her, tried to soothe her. But not today. Not after all that she'd just said.

After a few moments her shaking became worse, she stumbled backwards and collapsed into her chair. "No one to blame..." she mumbled and buried her face in her hands.

Hiccup was indecisive over what to do now. He wanted nothing more than to leave, to get away from here and from her as well. He wanted to look after Astrid, although he suspected she wouldn't want anything to do with him anymore. He still wanted to make sure she was alright. Or as alright as she could be right now. He needed to know if there was _anything_ he could do for her now.

But here now, for the first time in his life, were information about his father within reach. Hesitantly he stepped closer, preparing himself to ask.

And then she lifted her head again. It was clear she'd cried but apparently had caught herself already. Her face was cold as stone and her eyes piercing as shards of ice.

"You will end this thing with that woman!" she commanded and Hiccup rocked back. He cringed under her glaring stare for a moment then straightened up and glared right back at her.

"Who are you to decide something like that?" He asked as calm as he could. "That's up to her and me, not you!" It was over anyway… But he wouldn't give her the satisfaction of knowing that. Not now.

"I'm still your mother!" she cried out but he just shook his head.

"No, you're not! My mother was Brenna Hofferson." He turned toward the door but paused for a moment longer before leaving. "You, I don't even know."

He didn't bother to look at her again, didn't care how she'd react to his words, or if at all. He knew without her he would live an entirely different life now and probably not a better one but… That still didn't give her any rights to his life. He was no small boy anymore, dammit!

When he reached the door, he hesitated briefly nonetheless. Not because of his mother but because of the other dragon that probably waited for him on the other side of this door, ready to tear him to pieces. He took a deep breath and stepped through the doorway.

He saw her immediately, sitting on a chair in Heather's office, slumped down, red-faced and a vacant expression on her face. When he closed the door behind him she looked up. Her eyes widened, she jumped up from her chair and raced toward him, glistening eyes blazing.

"You're an idiot, Hiccup Haddock!" she cried. The impact then was enough to push him hard back against the wooden door and to make him gasp.


	21. You've got to be kidding me!

** Heather **

Heather leaned against a glass wall, arms crossed in front of her, and kept an eye on Astrid. After Hiccup's belated arrival and the incident by the lifts a few minutes ago she had led her friend into her office to let her sit down. When Astrid then had asked her to leave her alone for a moment she had done so, but only reluctantly and only to watch her from a distance now. She wouldn't let her run away now, not with all the pain and questions that were sure to haunt her.

"Did I miss anything?" came Fishlegs slightly breathless voice from behind her, as he finally arrived as well. "I had to park the blasted car and Hiccup just jumped out and ran off…" he trailed off as Heather turned toward him and he saw her face. "That bad, huh?"

But she shook her head. "Worse…" she looked back at Astrid who sat there hunched down like a picture of misery, her face buried in her hands now.

"Shouldn't we… ugh… talk to her or something?" He asked worriedly. "And by _we_ I mean.. you know… you…" Heather threw her boyfriend a pained smile and nodded.

"Yeah…" she agreed reluctantly. "Gods, that was really some kind of worst-case-scenario…" She walked the few steps toward her office, hesitant. Astrid had wanted to be alone and Heather could understand that all too well but… well, maybe not everything was lost, yet. She had to try at least.

"Hey!" she said after knocking carefully to the glass door. Astrid's only reaction was an audible, ragged breath and Heather took a deep breath herself to buy some time.

"Astrid, I…" She hesitated again when the blonde suddenly tensed all over at her words, silenced at once by the visible pain her friend was in.

"Why?" sounded her voice then, small and broken and barely more than a whisper.

"What?" Heather inquired, unsure as to what she meant by that question.

"I want to know why!" Astrid said, her voice getting stronger. "Why didn't he tell me? Was this some twisted joke or something? A bet? How fast would he be able to lay his new assistant? That's… Gods, I…" She broke off, shaking all over again and Heather grimaced.

"I thought you know Hiccup. He would never do something like that. Ever!"

With a sob, Astrid nodded. "But that still doesn't answer my question. Why didn't he tell me? Hel, why didn't _you_ tell me? I thought, we… we were…"

"He ordered us not to…" came Fishlegs voice from behind her. "The only order he _ever_ gave to any of us. He wanted to tell you himself…" He trailed off uncomfortably when Astrid finally looked up, her face tear-streaked and swollen.

"Oh yeah?" she asked, her shaking voice challenging now. "Then WHY DIDN'T HE TELL ME?" she yelled.

"I…" Heather started, unsure what to answer. She didn't really know herself why he hadn't done it. "He wanted to tell you this morning." She said then, the only thing she really knew for sure. "But then you showed up here on your own and…" She stopped when Astrid leaned back in her chair and stared at the ceiling. "We spend the whole weekend together. _The whole weekend!_ Surely that would have been time enough, don't you think?" Heather pressed her lips together. Astrid was right and she didn't know what to say.

"He was afraid," said Fishlegs reluctantly. "He feared you would hate the thought of him being your boss, that you wouldn't want that job anymore and that he would lose you again." Heather turned toward her boyfriend and noticed Astrid looking at him likewise, both women baffled.

"That's…" Heather frowned. "That's surprisingly logical and idiotic at the same time."

"He was… afraid?" Astrid asked and frowned as well. She leaned forward again, had resting on her intertwined fingers. She was silent for quite some time, her mind obviously working through a lot while her expression shifted between a frown, a grimace and a smile multiple times. And then she laughed.

Heather stared at her, bewildered, while Fishlegs carefully made a step back. "Did she go nuts?" he asked in a low voice, but Heather ignored him and simply waited.

"Gods!" Astrid exclaimed. "That makes so much sense! It explains… That's what bothered him, right? The whole time I thought… but in truth it was… Gods, that's crazy! How much he tortured himself over this." She kept laughing hysterically, tears still running down her cheeks.

Heather thought about how to distract her, how to keep the conversation running. This could be the right way!

"And do you?" she asked cautiously and Astrid paused to look at her, uncomprehending. "Hate the thought of him being your boss, I mean" she clarified. This was, after all, the main question, right? Aside from all the emotional ballast this whole event brought with it, this was what mattered. Would she stay, would she agree to work with him?

Astrid blinked, but only to start laughing again a moment later. "Whether… Whether I hate… Oh, Gods, this is hilarious," she wheezed. Heather waited for her to calm down a bit as it was obvious Astrid wanted to answer but had not quite enough breath, yet.

"You've gotta be kidding me… Whether I can live with the idea of Hiccup being my _boss_?" she asked finally. "You said it yourself, he _never_ gives orders. One does not work _for_ Hiccup, only _with_ him. That's… Gods…" she trailed off, lost in thoughts for a moment. "Heather… I bet you know what I said in my job interview, right? Read a protocol or something?"

Heather nodded. "Actually I wrote that protocol from the tape recording myself…" 

Astrid frowned at that but just shook her head. "Then you already know… I did this before with him. That's… actually, that's the reason why I applied for this job in the first place. I read the advertisement and started to cry. It reminded me so much of how Hiccup and I used to chew things over when he got stuck in on of his projects again. I missed him so much at that moment and… well, I thought if I couldn't be with him then maybe I could at least do something similar to remind me of him. And now you're asking me whether I could live with the idea of working with him like that?" She shook her head disbelievingly and leaned her head on her hands again, staring at the floor and lost in thoughts or memories, Heather couldn't tell.

She leaned back instead, trying to process what she just heard. Looking at it like that… "He really is an idiot…" She stated nonchalantly and Astrid nodded. "Yes, he is…" she whispered with an absent-minded, dreamy look on her still tear-stained face.

A moment later Astrid sprang out of the chair and ran past her.

* * *

** Astrid **

"Yes, he is…" she smiled to herself. All the trouble he must have gone through during this weekend… Astrid remembered how reluctant he had been Friday night. Of course, if he had already known they would work together, his holding back on her made so much sense. And even later, when-

She heard a door closing and looked up only to see Hiccup leaving Mrs Dragonite's office. His mother's office! Gods, that… - _later!_ she berated herself.

She got up and ran toward him, aware of the actual fear in his eyes as he saw her.

"You're an idiot, Hiccup Haddock!" she cried and threw herself toward him, making him stagger back against the door again. He gasped at the impact and she used this chance to her advantage. She flung her arms around his neck and kissed him passionately, her tongue ravaging his mouth heedlessly. He desperately moaned into their kiss, and his arms closed around her.

* * *

** Heather **

Heather watched the two lovers with a small smile. Who would have thought this whole mess could be easily solved like this?

"Man, that guy has more luck than he deserves!" Fishlegs stated amused but Heather shook her head.

"No" she disagreed. "He deserves it all!"


	22. Get A Room

** Hiccup **

The moment her lips met his he was home. He didn't know how but somehow she'd been able to forgive him. He had seen it in her eyes the instant before she'd crashed into him just now. He didn't know what had happened while he'd talked to his mother and he knew there were still so many things to sort out between them, but right now he simply was home, with her in his arms.

He held her as she fell against him, unusually frail considering who she was. He drew her closer and returned her passionate and desperate kiss, unwilling to ever let go of her again.

But, of course, they had to breathe eventually and when he loosened his hold around her she sagged down noticeably and buried her face in in his shirt.

"You're such an idiot!" she whined. "Why didn't you just tell me?" she shook her head against his chest, sobbing.

Hiccup stroke her back reassuringly, still holding a noticeable amount of her weight. "Hey, now." He murmured. "I'm sorry! I never meant to hurt you like this. I-" he swallowed as she looked up at him then, her incredibly blue eyes blazing.

"Stop it, you muttonhead!" she half cried, half laughed shakily. "You hurt yourself more than anyone else. Don't ever do something like this again!"

He gazed at her for a moment, his emotions too much to keep them inside somehow. He leaned down to kiss her again, chaste, sweet and lingering, purring all his feelings for her into this kiss. She sighed then, more stable now as she drew herself back to gaze up at him lovingly.

"Eww, get a room, you two" a laughing voice sounded in passing by and Hiccup looked up. The corridors of _floor 50_ had filled noticeably during the last minutes and he blushed slightly for all the amused and teasing looks he earned from his colleagues.

"Let's go." He said, took her hand and pulled her through the trickling stream of people toward Heather and Fishlegs.

* * *

They ended up in the break room, hidden from most curious eyes after their little show in the corridor. Only the espresso machine was used frequently but sitting in the far corner, they were mostly left in peace. Astrid, after a not so subtle hint from Fishlegs, had retreated to the ladies restroom to restore her make-up and all in all refresh herself a bit and Heather had returned to her office, not able to neglect her work any longer. That gave Hiccup the chance to inquire from Fishlegs after what had happened during his short absence.

He already knew that she'd forgiven him somehow but learning then that she wasn't just simply _okay_ with working for him but was actually looking very forward to it, and always had been, gave him a huge boost of confidence. So much so, that he even became bolder for when she returned and was about to sit down, too, he caught her in the last moment and pulled her toward him so that she landed on his lap instead. She blushed and laughed unsteadily but leaned in for a deep kiss nonetheless.

"Honestly, guys, get a room!" Fishlegs grumbled and threw an embarrassed glance through the not quite completely empty room. "You two will be the #1 gossip topic for the rest of the week, you know that, right?" he added mumbling but Hiccup just shrugged.

"I don't care, really" he mused. As long as Astrid was with him it didn't matter what people said. And after the prior conversation, he had with his mother, he wasn't so sure it would matter for long anyway. It would be a horrible start for their relationship to get fired together but he couldn't do anything about it now. Hiccup was dead-set on not letting this heartless woman rule his life.

Then another thought occurred to him and he grinned. "But Legs is right." He lifted her off his lap and got up, too. "Let's go and get a room!" he winked at her and pulled her along as he went for the exit.

"What…? Hiccup!" she squealed but he just laughed.

* * *

Their new office was set far more central than the one he'd shared with Fishlegs before, kitty-cornered from Heather's and easily twice as big. The back wall was full of cabinets, all still empty, and the floor was stacked with various boxes filled with files, blueprints, and books.

When he led Astrid inside before him, though, she stopped dead when she saw the two desks placed there and snorted. There was a big one, ornated and place in the centre of the room, slightly to the right, with two additional chairs in front of it. And then there was a smaller one at the left wall, framed by shelves.

"I _am_ your boss, after all, remember?" he said teasingly and gave her a peck on the cheek.

"Here!" she specified and threw him a mocking dark look.

"Right…" his lips twitched. "But we should get to work. That's what we actually do here, sometimes at least." _For whatever it might be worth…_ he thought to himself.

They began then, sifting through the boxes, sorting their content and placing everything into the cabinets. It was a rather relaxed kind of work with a lot of time to talk thereby. Every now and then Astrid inquired after one file or blueprint, asked what it was used for and became acquainted with his work in general.

After about two hours, though, he noticed how silent she'd become and looked up to find her sitting on his desk, engrossed in contemplation of an oversized folder. He stepped closer, already guessing what it would be. The portfolio with all his sketches, containing simple outlines, more extensive drafts, and a few almost artful drawings as well.

"These are beautiful!" she murmured, absentminded, and flipped further until she reached a drawing he'd just seen yesterday, on her laptop. Her fingers traced the faint lines of the wind and the memory of it blowing into his face and tearing at his arms was overwhelming again. And then, nothing. To think she could... His heart raced and he took a shaky breath as he slumped down in his chair. Her head whipped up then, realization plain on her face.

"You did this?" she asked incredulously and held up the drawing of the wingsuit. Hiccup nodded, unable to speak. She got up and walked toward him, drawing in hand. She stopped in front of him and eyed him, confused.

"You… did this?" she asked again, though with an altogether different meaning behind it this time, her voice barely more than a whisper and her eyes wide with surprise. He nodded again, hands shaking and unable to tear his eyes from the picture.

She stepped even closer, placed the drawing face down on the table and looked at him intently. "What's up?" She asked just like she had done numerous times during the last two days as well and just like then, Hiccup was unable to answer her, to put his thoughts and fears into words, and only shook his head. He saw the hurt in her eyes when he again refused to let her in. But this was different! He had to at least explain that much.

"Not… now…" he stammered, breathing unevenly, and after a short moment she nodded, understanding. Hiccup drew her closer until she stood between his knees, his arms wrapped tightly around her waist and his head resting against her chest. For once the appeal of her bewitching body beneath those clothes was lost on him, compared to the beauty of her soul within. And while she let him hold her, running her fingers through his hair, he was able to calm down within minutes only, whereas he had always needed hours before.

* * *

** Astrid  **

Astrid ran her fingers through his messy auburn hair. She had come to love doing this during the last days as it was such an innocent yet powerful gesture, able to sooth or arouse him, depending on the circumstances. Right now it was the former, though why it was necessary she couldn't even guess.

In one moment she'd admired his drawing skills and in the next, he was shaking all over, gripped tightly in some kind of panic attack. He clearly hadn't been able to explain so she'd settled to simple soothing. But her worries grew. What had just happened to him?

About fifteen minutes later his shaking had finally stopped entirely, his hyperventilating had calmed down to almost normal breathing again and his grip on her wasn't as tight and desperate anymore, either. She kept running her fingers through his hair, though, simply to have something to do.

"You _really_ should get a room!" came Heather's amused voice from the door and Astrid blushed slightly. The way she and Hiccup stood right now surely could be interpreted differently.

"I thought we already did!" came Hiccup's reply from against her breasts and although it made her blush even more, she also felt relief that he apparently had recovered enough to at least get his sarcasm back.

"Yeah!" Heather scoffed. "One with walls made of _glass_! Honestly…" Astrid could practically hear her rolling her eyes in the tone of her voice.

"Anyway, if you'd be able to spare her for a moment…" she paused, questioningly. "I wanted to ask whether you would like to join us for lunch, Astrid."

"Erm…" she answered, unsure as to whether Hiccup had any other plans already but apparently he didn't.

"Sure," he affirmed in her stead. "And I'll join you today, too."

This seemed to surprise Heather, though why Astrid couldn't tell.

* * *

During lunch then, Astrid learned that Hiccup normally ate with his mother. And although everyone around them inquired more than once why he wouldn't do so today, he never gave a clear answer to that. Most assumed that, after what had happened in the corridor that morning, Hiccup wanted to spend even more time with his new _assistant_ and the suggestive comments and looks they gave them made Astrid blush more than once.

One would think, grown-up people like these were above this pubertal behaviour but when she said so Heather gave her a pitiful smile and mouthed 'loony bin' as an explanation, making Astrid groaned in exasperation.

"Just ignore them" Hiccup suggested with a smile. "They'll get used to us soon enough." The way he said _us_ made her heart swell. He leaned over to place a kiss on her hair and although the whispering around them grew louder instantly, Astrid couldn't care less at that moment.

When they were almost done eating, Hiccup got called over by some colleagues and got up to talk to them. As far as Astrid understood, it was about some shared project of them and Astrid didn't mind him leaving her for the moment as she had waited eagerly for a chance to talk to Heather. And although the topic made her uncomfortable and edgy she didn't want to waste time with any hemming and hawing.

"Heather?" she began and the black-haired woman looked up expectantly. "You know Hiccup pretty well, right?" Heather shrugged noncommittedly. "I've known him for a few years now. Why?"

Astrid took a deep breath, suddenly unsure how to ask this after all. But she needed to know. She needed to know whether there was anything she could do or should avoid. So she chose the most direct way she could think of, least Hiccup would return before she got her answers.

"He got some kind of panic attack earlier. Do you know anything about it? Does this happen regularly and is there anything I should know to… I don't know… to prevent those from coming?"

Heather pressed her lips together and averted her eyes, obviously knowing more about this than she wanted to tell. "Did you talk about the _Dragonfly_ project or something related to it?" she asked after a few moments, hesitantly. Astrid was about to shake her head but paused.

"We… Well, I saw this drawing… The one that's the cover image for that project. But what does it have to do with this?"

Heather knitted her eyebrows, reluctant to talk more about this topic. "I can't tell you." She said in a low voice, looking around cautiously.

"Heather, please!" Astrid begged, but to no avail.

"No!" Heather said firmly. "He has to tell you this himself. But…" After a moment's more hesitation she nodded to herself, rummaged through her purse and pulled out a crumpled piece of paper. An envelope, Astrid realized, and not a new one, from the looks of it. Astrid reached for it, but Heather pulled it back once more.

"Don't open it!" she ordered. "Ask Hiccup about it. Maybe that will get him talking."

Astrid nodded, puzzled and took a closer look at the paper after Heather had given it to her. It was, as expected an envelope, sealed and containing at least one sheet of paper, a letter maybe? The envelope itself was crumpled and yellowed by years of age and although the handwriting on it wasn't messy it was hard to read for the ink had faded almost into invisibility. Astrid squinted, struggling to decipher it nonetheless. And gasped in surprise.

For there, in a clean handwriting, stood her name.


	23. Plans and Distractions

** Hiccup **

Hiccup had a guilty conscious. This conversation just now had shown all too well how much he had neglected his duties during the last week. If he wanted for Astrid and him to keep their jobs, he had to do better! He couldn't afford to be lazy now. Either his mother would keep him or get rid of him. She would base this decision on logic and the question whether he was still useful for her company. He really needed to catch up on his projects and he needed to do so now.

This was the plan at least, but when he made his way back to their table he knew immediately that he would have to change this plan. He saw Heather saying something when she spotted him and Astrid reacted instantly, hurriedly stashing some paper into her back pocket. Their behaviour would have been suspicious is any case but he had recognized the yellowed paper anyway.

His first instinct was to rush toward them, to snatch the letter away from Astrid and to run and hide it where no one would ever find it, and she especially. But then he caught Heather's look, reproachful and pleading alike and stopped, rubbing his forehead. Of course, that would be stupid! That first instinctive reaction was really just that, an instinct. But when he thought about it…

Astrid deserved to know everything. And how bad could it be, really? She already knew the worst part and his fears of her rejecting him in any way were rendered harmless by her every behaviour today. Maybe she would even laugh at his stupidity with him. No, he really didn't need to fear anything. He just needed to start…

Hiccup sat down by Astrid's side again and it was a sweet thing to see her guiltily smiling up at him, unsuccessfully trying to hide her conspiratorial secret. Even if he hadn't seen that letter in her hands just now he'd known she was hiding something. A sweet thing, indeed.

"I'd like to show you something." He said and out of the corner of his eye, he noticed Heather raising an eyebrow at him. _Hah!_ He thought to himself, childishly giddy to have for once been able to surprise her.

"Sure!" Astrid said and packed her things while Hiccup stashed her dishes and tray with his and carried them to the counter on their way out.

"Wow, how chivalrous!" she stated with a grin and he couldn't help but grin back.

"For you, Milady, everything!" he answered, winking, and to his delight noticed her fiercely blushing.

Hiccup led her out of the main building of Dragonite Engineering then and toward a small park on the compound, slightly hidden between a few other buildings. People were everywhere, enjoying the warm spring sun, but since the time for lunch break was about to end, most were already on their way back inside. Damn, he really would need to put in a lot of effort if he wanted to catch up on his projects…

When they reached an artificial hillside, Hiccup paused and let Astrid take in the view. A small copse was landscaped here, with trees, scrubs, and patches of grass strewn in everywhere. An artificial creek ran in curves down the hillside with lots of small bridges over it. The sound of the purling water and of tweeting birds hang in the air, accompanied by the smell of water, earth, and early spring blossoms.

Hiccup liked this place. Although it was clearly not natural it was well-planned enough to have the appearance of nature. And it was a calm place, a grounded sanctuary. The perfect place right now…

* * *

** Astrid  **

"This place is beautiful!" Astrid announced after she and Hiccup sat down on the grass in a slightly hidden cove between a few bigger scrubs. And it really was. She would not have expected to find a place like this on the grounds of _the lair_.

"It is…" she heard Hiccup murmur, suddenly very close to her, his breath brushing her neck. She shuddered and closed her eyes, her breathing unevenly at once. Despite their occasional kisses today they actually _had_ tried to keep up some propriety at least. It had been hard though, being near him, but never near enough.

"Shouldn't we go back…? To work…?" she asked, panting slightly and not wanting to go back at all.

"Later…" he breathed, his lips brushing her ear, making her quiver. Mouth slightly parted, she turned toward him, already guessing what to expect. His lips crushed down on hers, his intentions clear as he pushed her down into the grass, careful but relentless nonetheless. She smiled into their kiss, welcoming him into her arms, as he pinned her down, ardently making love to her mouth.

This was not a good idea, somewhere deep down in the back of her mind she knew that. This was still a rather public place and they still had to get back to work. This was her first day, after all, she should… at least… try…

Her mind was blown completely when Hiccup rolled them around to reverse their positions, laying her on top of him. His hands began to roam over her body, down her back and over her waist until they came to rest on her ass, squeezing her cheeks suggestively. His fingers, flat against the cloth, wandered downward, beneath the fabric-

-and pulled out the letter from her back pocket.

* * *

** Hiccup **

This had been a bad idea… Oh, he had thoroughly enjoyed distracting her like this but it had been a bad idea, nonetheless. He knew he couldn't let it go any further, not here and not now, however a very demanding part of him objected to him stopping this even so. And then, this had been a bad idea, too, because he hadn't wanted to upset her, either.

She sat up straight with a start, disbelievingly staring down at him. At him and at the letter, he now held in his hand, flippantly, between two fingers only and clear for her to see. In her eyes, he saw surprise, bashfulness, and concern and he couldn't help but love her even more for that.

"I-I… I'm… sorry, Hiccup. I-" she stammered, flushing, but he shook his head.

"It's alright." He reassured her. "I know Heather gave you this and I know why." Astrid gave him a confused look, her gaze shifting between him and the letter more than once.

"But… what is this?" She asked, but corrected herself instantly. "What does it mean? Why has it my name on it and what does it have to do with… with what happened… earlier in the office…" she trailed off, obviously unsure how to phrase her concerns. Gods, she really was a gift sent by exactly those themselves. Careful and observant, loving and determined, just what his broken soul needed to mend. He exhaled deeply, looked up into the sky and finally nodded, though more to himself.

"I can tell you everything, answer every question, if you want." He said hesitantly. "It is a long story, however, and not a happy one."


	24. Hiccup's Story

** Astrid **

When Hiccup had pulled that letter out of her pocket she'd felt horrible! Whatever all this was about, the way Heather had reacted to her question made it clear how important and personal this was to him. She felt like an intruder, inquiring after it like this. And then Hiccup had caught her red-handed, with this strange letter in her pocket and it had gotten only worse. How he'd deliberately seduced her only to get this letter, to confront her with it. Sure, he hadn't seemed to mind her having it really, and had even given it back to her and agreed to tell her everything, whatever that meant, but still… The way they'd reached this point almost made her regretting to ever have asked. Almost…

While Hiccup told his story then, he held her in his arms, tight and unwilling to let go of her. She got the impression that he _needed_ her presence, their closeness at this moment. They had relocated and now sat between the roots of an ancient tree, his back rested against the tree trunk with her sitting sidewise on his lap, her head resting against his shoulder while he talked and it really took some time. Occasionally she asked an interposed question, like when he mentioned Heather and her involvement, but mostly she let him speak, not wanting to interrupt him.

* * *

_Only a few days after Uncle Gobber's funeral, Hiccup packed his things and left. He had meant to leave anyway so why put it off? There was nothing left to hold him there except Astrid and she'd been about to leave soon, anyway. And then, simply being near her had become painful during the past months so he hadn't even been able to properly say goodbye to her. He did have a good guess why that was but he doubted she would return his feelings. So he left his old life behind with no ties to hold him back, except the memories of her sapphire blue eyes and her radiant smile. He'd meant it when he'd promised to write her soon but as it was he put it off until it felt wrong to still do so._

_He arrived at college and his dorm a few weeks early and quickly made new friends there. Their carefree partying and fooling around was just what he'd needed to distract himself from all the sorrow in his former life and for quite some time he enjoyed this life with no rules, no restraints and no regrets. He was with various girls during this time, too, enjoyed it even, but it never was what he really wanted. For he never was able to forget her._

_It took him two years to realize that this life of meaningless affairs and relationships, of endless parties and practically no studies at all, was not what he wanted, though even without working hard he'd been able to keep the scholarship he'd earned years ago. He also realized that the friends he'd made were, in fact, anything but friends for they abandoned him the moment he changed his life and he never heard of them again._

_During his third year at college, he began to actually put effort into his studies of engineering science and soon became one of the most observed students there were, due to his apparent talent and brilliant mind. After only one additional semester, he found himself as part of a special research team, hired to enhance and advance a certain project. He had agreed eagerly to be a part of this team when he'd heard about which project it was. It was about an innovative new kind of wingsuit._

She _had always dreamed of wingsuit flying. And although he didn't dare to contact her after all this time, being a part of this team made him feel closer to her again. He worked hard for this project and after one year ultimately was responsible for its success. After that, the thought of writing to her began again to pop up regularly in his mind. He had always wanted to know how she was and what she did nowadays but never had dared to actually contact her. With this new topic, however, he thought he could take a chance again. The thought solidified when the testing phase of the new wingsuit drew nearer and, out of some inner impulse, he volunteered to be one of the test pilots._

_On the evening before his test flight, he finally wrote the letter. It contained the usual, an apology for not writing earlier, the questions how and where she was and what she was doing these days. But it also contained all his anticipation for the upcoming day and, as a side effect, this made him bold. Bold enough even to not just tell her about his plans but also about his feeling for her, as they were still vividly alive, even after over four years. In this letter, he told her about how much he missed her and how much he'd like to see her again. He asked her, whether she'd come and visit him or whether she'd agree to let him visit her, wherever she was. He finished the letter with a renewed apology and his honest hope to soon hear from her._

* * *

Astrid stared down at the yellowed envelope she still held. Her hands began to shake as she realized what letter probably was inside this envelope and tears welled up in her eyes.

"Why didn't you send it?" she asked, choking. She remembered how miserable a time this had been for her. How she'd just lost another job due to the ailing economy back then and had so dearly wished for someone, anyone really to stand by her side, physically and mentally alike. To think a letter like this could have reached her then, and from Hiccup nonetheless. She would have raced toward him on the very day this letter would have reached her for her feelings for him had been vividly alive as well.

But Hiccup didn't answer her question and only drew her closer, tighter against his trembling body. He wasn't able to speak for some minutes before he continued his story.

* * *

_He meant to post the letter on his way to the airport the next morning. But after he'd slept in again he had no time left for that and decided to do it on his way back after the test flight. After more than four years, one day wouldn't make such a big difference after all._

_But he never made it this far._

_He remembered the incredible sight as the world wiped past him and how the wind tore at his limbs. And after that, there was nothing._

_The next thing he remembered was the annoying beeping noises that woke him. And the pain. The pain in his left leg had been overwhelming, frenzying even at the beginning. Later he learned that six months had passed since his accident and that it had never been possible to determine who's fault it was or what had happened exactly at all. He learned that the wingsuit project had been cancelled afterwards, and everyone went their respective ways again. He had never felt so lost before._

_He got a simple prosthetic for his lost leg but the rehab was hard without anyone to support him. There had been a time then when he'd wanted to simply give up. He had no one so no one would miss him. And even if he'd make it through the rehab, who would ever be able to care for a limping cripple after all, so why bother at all?_

_He was rescued then by one of the nurses who attended his rehab, who cared enough for her patient to even befriend him. She listened to him, asked him about his life, his dreams, what he'd wanted to do before the accident and why he wouldn't continue his path now. The most important thing she did, however, was retrieving his backpack from the day of the accident, that had gotten lost on his way to the ER somehow. For in his backpack still laid the letter._

_He didn't dare to send it then as almost everything it contained was rendered untrue. His success, his career, the whole wingsuit-project, everything. Everything but his feelings, though he didn't dare to burden her with a cripple's love. But only to think of her gave him strength and the letter with her name on it reminded him of her eyes and her smile every day anew. He hoped that, maybe, he could see her at least once more and this hope gave him the energy he needed._

_The nurse encouraged him than to continue his studies and even arranged for him to get a partner with whom he could study together and who could help him with the practical struggles of his predicament. With their help, he fought his way back into life._

* * *

"Without Fishlegs and Heather, I'm not sure I would have made it…" Hiccup said gloomily, reassuringly caressing her back and wiping a tear from her cheek with his thumb. She blinked.

"Heather? That nurse had been Heather?" Astrid asked, baffled, and Hiccup nodded with a pained smile.

"Yeah… " he answered reluctantly. "She wasn't a nurse, really, but already a spy for my mother, though I didn't know that back then. Either way, I owe her my life. Without her, I… I would have…" he broke off but Astrid knew what he meant. Without Heather, Hiccup would have ended his life.

"You two must have been pretty close, I guess…" That thought stung! She hadn't liked him talking about the _various girls_ he'd been with during those first years but then, those had been _meaningless_ , too. But _Heather_? She hadn't been meaningless. And she wasn't meaningless now, even though she was with someone else.

But Hiccup who'd probably heard the hint of jealousy in her voice chuckled. "No, not like that. She was very professional and I never saw her like that as well." He bowed his head toward her to place a lingering kiss on her hair. "And my heart had been taken anyway" he whispered.

* * *

 _Two years after he awoke in the hospital to beeping noises and pain, he handed in his master's thesis. With Fishlegs' help, he'd been able to complete his degree, and their shared work of this completely new kind of prosthetic had earned them worldwide attention. It hadn't been a hard decision for them to accept the offer of Dragonite Engineering, as they both had grown up in the town surrounding_ the lair _._

_Only then, after he had accepted Mrs Dragonites offer to build this prosthetic for him, had she let him known who she was. It had been a shock to him. Almost enough so to push him back into depressions when he learned that his mother had been within reach for his entire life and had never bothered to care for him. It had been Heather again, who built him up, even though learning she'd worked for his mother all this time had taken its own toll on their friendship for a while. But she'd reminded him of his almost sacred letter and of the to her unknown girl, of his hopes to maybe meet her again someday, wherever she might be._

_This hope had been enough to keep him upright. It had been enough to endure the month of working within close approximation to the woman who'd never cared for him. It had been enough to go through the painful and year-long process to grow accustomed to his new leg. And in the end, it had been enough to accept the job offer thereafter, too._

* * *

After he'd finished his story they'd both been silent for some time. Astrid needed time to process everything, Hiccup had told her. Many things she'd already known or guessed, but… She shook her head in an attempt to clear it.

"Are you alright?" Hiccup asked when she'd been silent for at least ten minutes and even then it took her one or two additional minutes to answer him.

"Yeah… I think so… but…" she looked up at him, seeking the strength in his eyes. "How can you cope with all this? With your mother and… with the wingsuit-project and…" she paused when something else occurred to her. "and with me! Am I not a reminder of this dark time for you, too?"

At this, he laughed. "Haven't you listened, silly?" he asked in a playful voice. "You are not a reminder of darker times. On the contrary, you have always been my light in the darkness."

* * *

** Hiccup **

After their long conversation in the park, Hiccup had made sure Astrid took the rest of the day off and drove home. This day had been long enough for her with an unbelievable overload of emotion and information alike. Arranging their office could wait a day longer, especially since he was pretty sure they wouldn't be able to do much more today anyway.

So, he'd send her home, using a teasing form of an order therefor, and had gotten himself back to his usual work. He couldn't effort to take the rest of the day off, too, after all. She'd called him when she'd arrived at _their_ home, as he'd requested, though. Knowing that she'd made it safely home after a day like this had been a dearly needed reassurance for him.

He'd spend hour after hour in his new, strangely empty office then, catching up on his most important projects, checking the input he'd gotten from colleagues and surveyed his work from Friday, which was, of course, filled with mistakes. Heather and Fishlegs had kept him company, partially easing his workload and provided him with a neverending stream of coffee. They hadn't commented today's events however for which he was indefinitely grateful. After all, it had been a long day for him as well.

"Fishlegs, I have bad news for you." He said when he was finally satisfied with what they'd accomplished for that day. "You'll have to take the bus today. I'd really like to get my car back." Tiredly, he rubbed his forehead, the caffeine barely affecting him anymore. Fishlegs shrugged.

"That's only fair, I guess… And maybe I'll even go out of my way and buy one for myself these days…" he yawned and stretched. "But let's call it a day. We still have four working days ahead of us." They all agreed and Hiccup was the first to head for the lifts.

When he reached the parking lot he noticed how late it actually was already. It was long past nightfall and Astrid would probably be asleep by now. He didn't want to wake her up by ringing her bell so he grudgingly accepted the fact that he would have to settle for his own apartment and his own bed for tonight. After all they'd been through today that felt wrong… But he couldn't help it, really.

He went through the dark parking lot, looking for his black Porsche Panamera, wherever Fishlegs had parked it this morning. Mmh, he could text her, maybe she actually was still awake. He _really_ wanted to hold her in his arms tonight! He pushed the button on his car key again and finally saw the blinking lights ahead of him. He made his way over and pulled out his phone. But before he could even begin to type in a message a shadow appeared behind his car.

"There you are!" a menacing voice said. "And finally all on your own!"

Hiccup looked up just in time to see the man closing in on him. There was no time to yell for help and no time to run, either. There also was no time to call for help, even though he had his phone already in hand, except… He did the one thing he still had time for.

He pushed the emergency-shortcut his mother had insisted upon.


	25. Anxiety

** Astrid **

When Astrid finally entered her living room, she slumped down on her couch immediately, overwhelmed by everything that had happened that day. How could she even begin to work through all of this? She remembered how full of anticipation she'd been the previous night. How much she'd looked forward to her new job, to finally meet her boss and to attend to all these interesting projects and the _Dragonfly_ project especially.

How oblivious and innocent she'd been… It was still hard to believe that she would actually work with Hiccup now, that they would spend their time brooding over his inventions, test them and actually get paid for that as well. This part was like a dream come true. If only that had been the only revelation…

The _Dragonfly_ project… The one she'd been so looking forward to… She wasn't sure whether this really could be a project they could work on together. Now knowing how deeply involved Hiccup was with the whole topic _wingsuit_ … it had led to his panic attack earlier after all, and who could blame him! And to think he participated in this research team back then because of her…

She looked up at her favourite picture on her cramped walls, the painting of a woman in a wingsuit, soaring high and fast over mountains far beneath her. This had been a dream of hers, too. But she wouldn't press this topic! She got up with one fluid motion and took the picture off the wall. It must have been painful for Hiccup to have this loom over him the whole weekend and he'd never said a word… Well, it hadn't been the only topic he hadn't mentioned… Astrid hoped he would open up now. He really had endured enough!

She carried the picture into her training room and leaned it face first against the wall. She would _not_ force this topic on him _ever_ again! As long as it was up to her, they would abandon this project, would hand it over to anyone else. When Heather had worked for his mother the whole time then she knew how Hiccup had lost his leg. How could she have him work on this project?

But his mother… In a way, this had been the worst thing today. Unyielding and calculating Mrs Dragonite was Hiccup's mother? He had mentioned how this knowledge had affected him, how it had almost pushed him back into depressions, but… Astrid _knew_ Hiccup! She had been there when they'd grown up and had seen how he'd suffered, how much he'd suffered from his mother's indifference. The fact that Heather had been able to pull him out of this was incredible!

Astrid began then to loath Hiccup's mother. This was not a good thing, as she was working for her now but she couldn't help it. Knowing just how much pain this person had inflicted upon him… She decided then to never call her his mother again. She had lost all rights to this title!

She realized other things as well then… that Mrs Dragonite obviously had cast an eye on him after he'd shown promising talent in engineering for she'd sent Heather to uplift him and get him back to his work. And then, she'd only cared to interact with him directly after he'd presented his incredible work to the world. No, she really wasn't worth being called his mother…

Astrid went back to the living room and called Hiccup, just like she'd promised she would. It had only been about an hour and a half but she already missed him and hearing his voice again was soothing to her churning emotions.

He told her that he had a hel lot of work to catch up to and that she shouldn't wait for him tonight. This had made her sad. After this craziest of all days, she wanted nothing more than to relax and sleep in his arms. Among other things…

Astrid then tried to distract herself with a dearly needed training session and, after taking an extensive shower, settled on her couch, flipped on her TV and waited. She waited for hours and eventually drifted off into a doze and finally fell asleep completely.

* * *

Astrid was dreaming. It wasn't a good and pleasant dream, though, but rather a strange kind of nightmare. In her dream, she was running along an empty street, though where to or from what she did not know. She just ran and ran and over time she got the impression that she was needed elsewhere. That she had to hurry least she would be too late. But no matter how fast she ran it never was enough. She tried harder and harder but only felt more useless by the minute as she simply couldn't reach the place where she was so desperately needed.

With a start, she woke up then, wide awake at once and heart pounding rapidly. She was shaking all over from the dream and the cold alike. Sleeping without a blanket had drained her body of all its heat, or so it seemed to her at least. She got up and walked up and down the room for a bid to calm down, fingers rummaging through her dishevelled hair. What a dream…

She looked at her watch. Ten in the night already… And Hiccup still wasn't back. Or had he returned to his own apartment instead? That one actually still existed, too, after all… She took a look at her phone but there were no messages or missed calls.

The strange feeling of her dream that she should be somewhere else still lingered in her head and Astrid tried to shake it off while she went to her bedroom to get a cosy hoody and pulled it on. She felt… anxious. This dream had made her edgy somehow, worried for no apparent reason.

She would call Hiccup. Maybe he was still at _the_ _lair_ , it surely had sounded like he would need to work halfway through the night. Or maybe he already was on his way back. She dearly hoped to, anxious to be close to him again. But after she'd dialled his number she only got a busy signal. Huh, strange. Whom would he call that late on his private phone? She tried anew but this time only got

_The person you are calling is temporarily not available._

Okay, now things started to get really strange! Her anxiety grew and with it grew the strange feeling from her dream. That she should be somewhere else… She went to her kitchen to get herself a glass of water and while she sipped on it, her uneasiness grew even more. Something was off. She didn't know what, couldn't put her finger on it, but… something just wasn't right! When the glass was empty she went back to her phone and tried to call Hiccup again, but still couldn't reach him. She was about to lay her phone back down when it began to ring, startling her into letting it drop. She scrambled to her knees to pull it out from under the couch where it had landed and saw it was Heather calling her before she hastily answered it.

"Heather! What's up?" she asked all the more anxious now. Why would she call her, and this late nonetheless?

"No questions now, Astrid. I don't have time for that. Legs is on his way to pick you up. Pack a few things, change of clothes, a thermos… I don't know, chocolate, or a book. Whatever you need. He'll be there in a few minutes, so you better hurry. And-"

"Heather!" Astrid interrupted her, close to a panic. "What happened?" She heard the other woman taking a ragged breath before she answered reluctantly.

"It's Hiccup! He…" she hesitated. "They are bringing him to the ER!"


	26. ...right?

** Astrid  **

"Oh, come on! Hurry, Fishlegs!" Astrid urged him on as they rushed down the hospital corridors but it was futile. The plump man leaned against the wall, red-faced and panting.

"Just… go on…" he gasped " I'll… I'll be… right…" he groaned with pain and let his head fall against the wall as he tried to catch his breath. She threw him a worried glance but he just waved her on. "Go!"

She nodded and ran onward.

It had taken about half an hour for Fishlegs to pick her up and then for them to reach the hospital. Those had been the longest thirty minutes of her life! Heather hadn't been able to tell her much more as she seemed to have other calls to make as well and Fishlegs had known even less. Her only information now was that Hiccup had been brought to the ER, with siren wailing and blue light flashing. This and Heather's apparent anxiety had made her frantic!

What could have happened? An accident at _the lair_? But then Fishlegs would have known more about it. Hiccup had wanted to drive home by car that night but since the black Porsche, _his_ car as she'd learned only today, was obviously well intact he at least hadn't had a car accident. Well, she wouldn't be able to find out on her own… So she raced on.

When she finally reached the waiting room of the ER, Heather was already there.

"Heather!" Astrid flung herself at the other woman, shaking for various reasons and holding on to her least she would collapse. "How is he? What happened? Is he…" she broke off when Heather raised her hands to ward off her stream of words.

"He's alive!" She reassured her. "That's all I know." She guided Astrid toward a group of chairs and they sat down, though Astrid felt anything but comfortable while simply sitting down. "He… got attacked." Heather continued. "I don't know why or by whom. Maybe it was robbery, but…" She bit her lip and a confused frown was clear on her face.

"What?" was all Astrid could get out, desperately pleading for her friend to tell her everything she knew. Heather looked up at her, a strangely concerned expression on her face.

"He called me." She explained. "Only minutes after he left, he called me. I thought he'd probably forgotten something, but… Well, when I answered the call I couldn't hear much at first and almost hang up. But then I heard Hiccup's voice, though only from afar. I couldn't understand what he said but then this other man answered him and…" She paused, pressing her lips together. "And then I heard Hiccup scream. It was awful…" Astrid could only stare, eyes wide in shock, trembling all over. What had happened. And why? Why now, dammit?

"I called an ambulance and the police at once. I checked the GPS on his phone, and told them where they would find him. And they did, quite fast even and even got hold of his attacker. But it's…" Heather shook her head, confused. "Do you know anyone who would do something like this?" she asked, watching Astrid intently.

"What?" she replied, uncomprehending. "W-Why would I? I mean, that's…totally…" she shook her head, stammering and unable to conjure up even one coherent thought.

"Because of what the attacker _said_!" Heather explained in a low voice. "I mean, right before… he said 'No one messes around with _my_ girl!' and… well, this has to do something with you, right?"

"What?!" Astrid exclaimed, disbelievingly. Apparently, that was all, she would say for the rest of the day. This was all too much, too confusing, too…

"I have a friend at the police. He's not assigned to this case but he's on duty right now. He picked up a name… Do you know an… Eric Ericsson? He wanted to try and send a photo later, but…"

Astrid stared at her, not listening anymore. This couldn't be real. This couldn't happen! This… Her hands were shaking violently now and her eyes welled up with new tears as she shook her head.

"No… not Eric… Eret! Eret Eretson! Oh, Gods! This can't be happening!" She buried her face in her hands. All this was _her_ fault!

Heather reached out tentatively and placed her hand on Astrid's arm. "Who is he?" she asked carefully but urgently nonetheless.

"My ex!" she explained, mumbling into her hands. "Or rather… Oh, Gods… I caught him cheating on me and… and never officially broke up with him, I guess. I met Hiccup that day and never thought about him anymore…" she pressed her lips together to keep them from trembling. If only she had talked to Eret earlier, had made it clear, had-

"This is _not_ your fault!" Heather said firmly. "You hear me? _You_ didn't do this!"

But Heather's words didn't reach her, not really. If it wasn't for her, Eret would never have done something like this. She pulled out her phone. "You wanted a photo of him." She said, voice empty of emotions. It only took a few clicks until she found one and handed her phone to Heather. "Here, your friend doesn't need to get into trouble for this…"

Heather took the phone and looked at the picture, frowning. "I know this man…" she whispered, almost to herself only. "But I don't… Oh, Gods!" Her eyes widened and she looked back up to Astrid, who looked at her perplexed in return. "I've seen him before!" Heather exclaimed. "He was at the park yesterday! I saw him glaring at the two of you, but… but I thought he just minded your public show of intimacy." She shook her head, disbelievingly. "Well, that explains that, at least. Oh wait, there's Fishlegs!" Heather got up and hurried toward her boyfriend to fill him in as well, leaving Astrid alone with her thoughts.

No, this did not explain anything! She didn't think it beyond Eret to hurt someone, not out of jealousy but rather out of hurt pride, not for a second! But Hiccup was more than just _hurt_. For them to deliver him to the ER with sirens and blue light and all… No, Hiccup needed to be injured, and badly, too. Gods, if anything were to happen to him… if he would…

A strangled sob escaped her and she threw her hands over her mouth to smother it and the crying that followed thereafter. She couldn't lose Hiccup again, not now and not like this. She wouldn't survive that.

Suddenly Heather's hand was on her arm again and she looked up only to see a doctor's overall disappear behind a double door. She paled.

"What did he say? What did Eret do to him? Did he actually try to… to…." Her voice broke and all she could do was to hold her breath, least she would break down, sobbing and shaking.

"No, nothing like that…" Heather said hesitantly. "He just broke his leg."

Astrid slumped down in relief then. A broken leg! Bad enough but surely no fatal wound. In fact, Hiccup had been through much worse! Just a broken – why was Heather still looking at her like that?

"What?" Astrid asked anew, this time pleading and almost frightened, though.

"He broke _the_ leg!" Heather explained in a level voice. Okay… but even that wasn't _that_ bad…right? It could always be repaired… right? Heather's distraught expression bewildered her, though. What did she not know?

"It appears that our brilliant mastermind forgot to build in some mechanism to restrain uncontrolled bleeding…" Heather added bitterly. "The ECP on the ambulance didn't know what to make of the leg anyway and even here they had their problems… They couldn't… He lost a hel lot of blood…"

Astrid could still do nothing but stare. "But they can replace it, right? I mean, this is a hospital, for Odin's sake! They must have plenty of reserves!"

But Heather just pressed her lips into a thin line and shook her head. "There was this terrible accident this morning, remember? A massive freeway pile-up. They used up almost all their reserves and… well, they're already searching for a fitting donor but it doesn't look so good. They have no time to centrifugate it so they need the right blood type. You don't happen to have B-?" she asked shakily and Astrid slumped down, realizing what Heather tried to tell her…

"No" she mouthed, but no sound came out. She took a ragged breath that turned itself into a shrieking sob. "No, I don't !"

This wasn't real… This wasn't real! This couldn't be real! Oh please… She buried her face in her palms again, fingers digging into her hair, tearing at it in an attempt to wake herself up. This must be a bad dream, a joke! A sick, bad, and twisted joke! This –

"But I have." Came another voice from the entrance. "Give him mine!"

Astrid lifted her head, stunned, and looked into a pair of strangely ancient eyes amidst a surprisingly youthful face.


	27. A Dragon's Tale

** Astrid **

Astrid sat just where she had sat during the last three days as well and was sore all over. The nurses had brought her additional cushions and a blanket to make it more comfortable for her but there was only so much one could do to make a simple plastic chair comfortable. And then she didn't _want_ to be comfortable! How could she be _comfortable_ while sitting beside Hiccup's bed, holding his limp hand and searching his pale face for any reaction? No, being comfortable was not her goal right now…

He would make it, the doctors had no doubt about that. In the end, they had been able to stop the bleeding, although they had to remove the destroyed remains of his artificial leg and a part of the adjacent tissue as well. And they had been able to replace enough of his blood to keep him alive, even though they'd kept him sedated until he'd rebuilt enough on his own again. Around them, there were wires and tubes everywhere and the constant beeping of the medical equipment around them had become her reliable companion. Heather and Fishlegs had been there frequently as well, keeping her company. They weren't as worried about Hiccup as she was, though. They'd seen him in a much worse state before and the assurances by the doctors were enough for their logical minds to be appeased. Somewhere deep down this logic reached her, too. Of course, there was no reason to be afraid, not anymore at least. She just couldn't bring herself to leave his side.

The worst part was over, though… The anxiety, the fear, and the despair she'd felt while they'd all been waiting in front of the ER were only memories by now, though vivid and painful memories to be sure. Today they'd decreased the barbiturate drugs to sedate Hiccup and now she was waiting for him to wake up.

The door opened then and Astrid flinched when she saw who entered. _She_ had been there several times, as well… But Astrid had successfully pretended to be asleep every time that had happened. She didn't want to deal with her! This whole situation was just… she didn't even know how to describe it. Strange? Awkward? Crazy? The loathing she felt toward her was still powerful yet to associate it with the real person, the woman who'd praised and employed her… And now she even had…

"How is he?" she asked and Astrid pressed her lips together. She did _not_ want to talk to her! Knowing that it had been her who'd inflicted so much pain on Hiccup when they'd been younger… And yet she couldn't deny the fact that it was _her_ blood running through his veins right now, her blood that had saved him.

"Better…" Astrid answered reluctantly. "His blood pressure has normalized enough and his blood test results are acceptable as well." Astrid wondered why she'd bothered to ask _her,_ though. She could have gotten this information from the nurses as well. But the older woman just nodded.

"Mr Eretson won't be a problem anymore by the way."She then added to Astrid's surprise, confusing her even more. She hadn't known the other woman even knew about Eret at all. This reminded her of how all this was her fault in a way and she grimaced. Mrs Dragonite glanced at her and her face softened. She probably didn't know of her involvement with Eret… "My attorneys will deal with this case. They will get him for attempted homicide at least, maybe even attempted murder. His base motives will probably help our case as well. Maybe you won't even have to testify." Astrid nodded. Heather had told her this before. Although they all knew Eret had probably never intended to cause this much harm, she couldn't bring herself to feel sorry for him. Breaking someone's leg was bad enough and who knew what he would do the next time someone dumped him. But it appeared Mrs Dragonite knew of her involvement after all… And didn't blame her. Gods, this was awkward... Astrid hoped the other woman would leave again soon.

But instead, Mrs Dragonite stepped closer to Hiccup's bed and looked down at his quiet form. "He looks so peaceful." she mused and Astrid was hard pressed not to snort aloud. _Peaceful_? She glanced at him, too, and found she couldn't agree less.

She had seen him peaceful before. When they'd lain together in her bed, exhausted and tired in each other's arms, he'd looked peaceful. And after he'd told his story and called her his light in the darkness, he'd looked peaceful as well. But now, connected to all these tubes, sedated by drugs and a thin layer of sweat on his abnormal pale skin… No, this was not what she would describe as _peaceful_.

"I've always loved to watch him sleep," she said in a throaty voice and reached out to lightly caress his face. Astrid's grasp around his hand tightened. _How dare she_? How dare she say this? How dare she touch him? _She left him, for Odin's sake!_

"And he looks so much like his…" She choked and Astrid saw tears on her face. She stared, dumbfounded and gaping. The other woman noticed, though, and gave her a sad smile.

"Ms Wind told me who you are, Ms Hofferson," she said and Astrid saw a confusing mixture of concern, appreciation, and understanding in her strange old eyes. "So I know what you did for my son… During all these years… And… and I want to… thank you!" Astrid saw how hard this was for the other woman. But she didn't react. She did not want to make this easy for her! So she settled to just lean back as much as her hold on Hiccup's hand allowed it and waited. For, obviously, Mrs Dragonite wanted to get something off her chest.

"You were always there for him, which I wasn't…" She continued and Astrid tensed up. "I should have been, but…" she shook her head, a pained expression on her face.

Astrid _really_ did not want to talk to her! But this could be a once in a lifetime chance. And she owed it to Hiccup to at least ask! "Then why weren't you?" She heard herself ask, voice calm and eyes fixed on Hiccup.

The other woman took a ragged breath before she answered whispering. "I couldn't stand to be near him…"

Astrid's head wiped around, eyes blazing furiously. "So you really never cared for him!" she stated angrily, struggling to keep her voice low. This was after all a sickroom. "What kind of a mother are you?" Her words were sharp like a wipe and lashed out like one, too. Astrid could see how they hit the other woman and felt a spark of satisfaction rise inside her.

Mrs Dragonite exhaled unevenly and slumped down on the chair, that stood on the other side of Hiccup's bed, opposite of Astrid. She stared unseeingly at the floor, eyes wide while a few lone tears ran down her cheeks. "…never cared…" she whispered and Astrid noticed her hands shaking heavily as she reached out to take Hiccup's other hand.

And then she began to talk, voice husky with hold back tears and emotion. "We always wanted a child, his father and I. We were so happy when I became pregnant, he was our greatest bliss. Everything was perfect…" Her eyes began to glisten and she took another deep breath. "But it didn't last… Stoick and I had just founded Dragonite Engineering and couldn't afford to take a break. I kept working on my projects as long as I was able to and was able to finish the last project, an enhanced paraglider, three months before our delivery date. But of course, I couldn't test it anymore, not with my bump… And so Stoick volunteered to do it as we had no time left to look for someone else. I agreed as we were pressed for time and he had tested our projects before as well, though not regularly." She stared again at the floor for some time before she continued.

"I don't know what went wrong… maybe there was a weakness in the material, maybe a rod broke, or the fabric tore… Or maybe I did a mistake in my calculations… I never found out… But the glider broke, hit Stoick on the head and I… I watched him fall… unable to do _anything_ about it."

She paused again and Astrid actually felt bad for her. This was a horrible thing to happen! But it didn't explain why she then abandoned their beloved child!

"I hardly remember the months thereafter …" Mrs Dragonite continued. "I stayed home, doing nothing. When Hiccup was born then I took care of him… Or tried to, at least. He looked so much like his father, I could hardly bear to look at him! And although I should have hated my work for taking away my husband, it was the only thing that could distract me from the pain. I began to work at home again, but soon that wasn't enough anymore. I left my baby with a friend and went to my office almost on a daily basis. And although I knew Brenna took good care of him during these times it didn't change the fact that I neglected him. And she had her own baby to care for as well…" At that, the other woman looked at Astrid then, an apologetic expression on her face.

"Employing you, Ms Hofferson, was, in part, compensation to my former friend… That's why I granted you the second interview in the end." Her gaze wandered back to Hiccup and Astrid almost choked at the rising lump in her throat. Her mother had known who Hiccup's mother was? Why had she never said a thing? This thought distracted her enough to be startled when Mrs Dragonite began to talk again, voice thick with emotions.

"When Hiccup was six months old it was at its worst. I buried myself in work and neglected him so much… Stoick's brother Gobber showed up then, Brenna called him, I think. He offered to take care of his nephew in my stead and I-" She broke off, hiding her face in her hands. "I agreed…" She added, whispering. "It was the best choice at the time… and I thought…They promised to never tell him… I thought it would be best if I wouldn't be a part of his life anymore."

"Bullshit!" Astrid interrupted her, anger making her bold. "How would that be best? You have no idea what you did to him, do you? And just so you could keep working as you wished…?" she trailed off as tears welled up in her eyes, too. To think that _this_ was the reason for her absence… "You really never cared for him at all…" she scooted closer to Hiccup again.

"Of course, I did!" The other woman said, but it sounded insecure. "I always did… and still do. Gobber always wrote to me about what he did, his success at school and how he obviously inherited my talent for tinkering… But after Gobber's death, I… I lost track of Hiccup for some years. It was just like he'd disappeared…" Her face darkened then and Astrid could guess all too well what she would refer to now.

"He reappeared then under the worst circumstances possible… This accident with the wingsuit… It was so much like what had happened to Stoick all those years ago! And I swore to myself that I would never let something like this happen to him ever again! I decided to interfere more directly then and send my newest assistant-in-training to watch over him and later even told him who I was… I'd hoped we could make up for some of the lost time but… Well, it's not that easy, I guess…" Her lips turned I to a bitter line as she pressed them together to prevent them from trembling. Astrid remembered how bitter Hiccup had been about this topic as well. Maybe he really looked more peaceful now than he'd ever looked at this mother…

"And now we're here, in his sickroom all over again. And everything starts anew..."

Astrid could only stare at the other woman. This had not been the story she would have expected. She still would never forgive what she'd done to Hiccup but she at least understood some of it now. She wondered whether Hiccup knew about all this…

Mrs Dragonite stood up from her chair and turned toward the exit. "I'll leave you alone again now… but…" She sighed. "Well, could you have them call me when he wakes up? Please?" Only a couple minutes ago, Astrid would not have thought twice about this, would have rejected the request with a flippant comment. But now… She nodded.

"I will, Mrs Dragonite," she said and the older woman grimaced.

"That sounds… inappropriate somehow…" She said with a strange expression, paused for a moment and then nodded to herself. She turned again to Astrid and her strangely ancient eyes had a softer gleam in them.

"Please, call me Valka!" She turned toward the door again, and left Astrid to stare after her.

What in Odin's name had _that_ been?

She was still gazing at the closed door, baffled, when she heard a painful groan and the limp hand beneath hers twitched slightly.


	28. This Cosy Darkness

** Hiccup **

Hiccup was dreaming again. It was a strange dream, though, without any light or other points of reference. He was floating weightlessly in the darkness, asleep in his dream as well. And he felt alone… somewhere in the back of his mind, he remembered this, just being without any possibilities to measure the passing of time and the last time it had rendered him all alone with nothing left at all.

Then the dream changed… he still couldn't see anything but he _heard_ things. He heard the familiar beeping sound that belonged to this place of loneliness and that made him tremble all over. He couldn't remember what the sound meant, but he knew it wasn't anything good.

And then he heard the voices. There were two of them, both female and he knew them both. Quite well even, although he couldn't quite place them. They were talking without much emotion in them, simply exchanging information. He understood single words then, words like _normalized_ and _testify_ and couldn't make any rhyme or reason to them without any context to put them in.

He put some effort into listening harder then as he didn't have anything else to do anyway. What were they talking about? He caught the words _peaceful_ and _sleep_ and although he still didn't know what this was about, these words made him wonder. Yes, he was asleep… somehow. But then, he didn't feel like he was sleeping, not really. Somehow this felt different… And peaceful? Yes, this place was peaceful, the darkness and the muted sounds around him had something cosy and calming about them. But there were still these memories… that even though this place seemed peaceful, it meant something. Something bad, something that would only lead to pain and loneliness.

He did not want to leave this place… this place _was_ peaceful! And whatever awaited him where those voices were, it would _not_ be peaceful anymore… He wanted to retreat into this cosy darkness to never wake up again.

But then he felt the pressure. Something was pressing against his very being, something warm and reassuring and… important! Somehow he knew this was important, whatever it was. He had felt some kind of pressure or other before, but this one was different. This one was _meaningful_! His mind reached out for this pressure that meant so very much, curious as to what it meant _exactly_. He emerged further out of the soothing darkness and realized what this pressure was. It was a hand, squeezing his tightly.

His mind shuddered at the sensation and realization alike. Someone was holding his hand, tight and warm and soothing. He had felt this hand on him before and a stream of chaotic images flooded his mind, memories of this hand, how it had caressed and touched him, had held his hand tightly before. And he remembered a pair of sapphires blue eyes and a radiant smile. But could this be real? He had remembered those so many times before, in his sleep and daydreams alike. He strained himself to further stretch his mind, to reach the surface, to make sure this was not just another fantasy.

"Then why weren't you?" he heard one of the voices say, suddenly able to understand the whole sentence, although it was still muffled and barely held any meaning for him. But it was… it _really_ was! It was _her_ voice! He tried to reach her then, tried to move, to say something, to open his eyes to make sure she was really there. But he couldn't. His body wouldn't respond to him, too heavy to be moved by his weakened mind. He tried again, with renewed motivation, to force his mind back into his body entirely… and recoiled.

The pain was immediate, blinding and excruciating, and he tumbled back down beneath the soothing cover of darkness where the pain couldn't reach him. Too much… too strong… he couldn't…

The physical pain had been bad, though not a bad as the one in his memories. He had endured worse… It had been, however, not only the physical pain that had made him flee.

"I couldn't stand to be near him…" the other voice had said… And he had known who's voice it had been! The pain this rejection caused was worse than anything else. He should have been used to it by now but he wasn't and he doubted he ever would. He wanted nothing more than to dive deeper into the darkness and stay there, safe from any pain. He tried hard to reach his goal but found he wasn't able to go there anymore. For someone was still holding his hand.

He heard her voice again, then, muffled an incoherent but she sounded aggressive and angry, fighting a fight that was not hers. He paused in his efforts to flee, paused and listened, emerging from the deep again to understand her. He forced himself to go as far as possible, as far as he could go without being rendered blind in every way by pain again. It took almost all his entire strength to stay there at the edge of consciousness but somehow he managed to do it. And he heard _everything_.

It was in a way the story of his life and yet he had never heard it told like this before. Somewhere in between, he was sure to be dreaming again, as he couldn't believe the things he heard could be real. But her hand kept him sane and aware and a small part of him understood that everything he heard was true.

It took some time before he realized the voices had quieted down, leaving him alone with the constant beeping noise again. For a moment, he panicked, fearing the impending loneliness of this sound, but soon something else called his attention anew. For her hand over his was shaking.

Of course, she would be just as shaken by what they'd just heard. But, again, this was not her fight. She shouldn't suffer for it, should not distress herself over this. He wanted to be there for her, endure this with her, side by side and so he braced himself for the pain and made the last mental step into consciousness.


	29. Painful Awakening

** Hiccup **

The pain was incredible! His leg was burning white hot with liquid flames running through his entire body, rendering him paralyzed almost at once. But only almost...He had been able to squeeze her hand, even though only slightly. But knowing this kept him sane and coherent amidst his burning body, or as sane and coherent as it was possible at least. He heard himself groan and the additional pain from his entirely too dry throat then was too much. The groaning turned into a cry of pain that he was unable to contain anymore.

"Hiccup!"

He heard her voice, anxious and agitated, through his cry and tried to open his eyes, to look at her, to smile and reassure her he was alright. But of course, that didn't work out as planned. She let go of his hand and he felt her scrambling by his side.

"Shh-shh, just wait a moment," she tried to soothe him. "The nurse will be here any moment. She'll have painkillers. Just wait!" She squeezed his hand again, tighter, almost desperate while he tried hard to calm down. It was just pain, for Thor's sake! Just ordinary and physical pain! He tried to breathe like he'd learned to, inhaling through the nose, exhaling through the mouth, in and out, in and out, and it worked. The first excruciating wave of pain was already about to abate when the door opened and two nurses came hurrying toward him. One had a syringe ready in her hand and injected its content into his thigh without hesitation.

It took only seconds until the pain subsided. The drug made his head foggy instantly but at least he stayed awake. He rolled his head to the side where he knew she would stand, a little retreated to give the nurses room, yet still _there,_ and finally looked at her. She gazed back at him, her beautiful eyes glistening with unshed tears, her hand clasped over her mouth to keep her rosy lips from trembling. It was hard to get his body to react properly but he managed to lift his arm a little, reaching out for her.

Her reaction was instantaneous, she hurried toward him and flung herself half over the bed, arms around his neck, and buried her face against his shoulder. The movement shook his body thoroughly and a new wave of pain rolled over him but it wasn't nearly as bad as the first one. In fact, it was almost rendered harmless by the feeling of being this close to her again. Feebly, he lifted his arms and laid them around her slender body, holding her as tight as his weakened muscles could muster. His arms were already shaking with the effort but he tried to caress her back soothingly nonetheless as she began to sob uncontrollably against his shoulder.

"I'm s-so sorry," she whined repeatedly, only confusing his dazed thoughts even more. He wanted to ask for what she was apologizing so vigorously but had no strengths left to talk. Instead, he just leaned his head against hers, resting with half-closed eyes. He registered the one remaining nurse checking the monitors and she seemed satisfied, nodding to herself. She glanced at him then, an apologetic smile on her face as she stepped to his bed again.

"I have to make a few check-ups" she announced and he noticed Astrid's arms around him tightening, and felt the same reluctance to let her go. But she retreated nonetheless, nodding while swallowing hard and wiping away the tears on her cheeks.

"Sure," she said with a weak voice. "I have to do something anyway." 

No! He didn't want her to leave! He tried to hold her back, to ask her to stay but all that he was able to bring forth was another painful groan. 

Astrid smiled at him then and took his hand once more. "I'll be right back!" she promised reassuringly. "Relax a bit, I just need a few minutes." And with those words, she whirled around, and practically ran outside.

Hiccup looked after her, too dazed by the drugs to comprehend any of this. But he followed her advice and leaned his head back against the elevated headboard of the bed. He closed his eyes and tried to rest while the nurse buzzed around him, measures his blood pressure, checked on his leg and did whatever she thought necessary.

Yes, he had realized his leg was missing again… He hadn't been with his prosthetic long enough to have forgotten how it felt to be without it after all. He tried to remember what had happened, what had brought him here and what had happened to his leg this time. But his memories eluded him on this topic once more. All he could remember was holding Astrid in his arms as they sat against the tree trunk and later working in his office for hours with Heather and Fishlegs.

 _Later…_ he berated himself, dozing off again. Whatever had happened, he would learn about it soon enough…

The nurses were quite busy around him. Every now and then the sound of the door opening and closing registered in his half-asleep mind as they entered and left, bringing more equipment or carrying it away again. A doctor was there, too, examined him and his leg and asked a few questions but Hiccup was almost passed out completely again at that point and didn't even understand the questions much less answer them.

But when Astrid returned he woke up again instantly, knowing she was close even before she opened the door. He caught the expression on her face as she entered, concerned and upset, before she put back on a reassuring smile when she saw him looking at her. She hurried to his side again, the nurses making room for her this time as they seemed to be through with their checkups anyway, and took his hand again reflexively.

"Fishlegs and Heather said hi," she told him as she sat down on the side of his bed, careful this time as not to jostle him too much again. In a way, he regretted that for he would have liked it much more to have her in his arms again. But he knew this was not the time for closeness. He was so tired… Whatever the nurses had given him started to wear him down fast now and he was hardly able to look at her anymore.

But as he did so nonetheless he saw her face once more overcome by irritation and concern as she stared distractedly at the wall. Whatever she was thinking about, it seemed not to please her at all.

"What?" he croaked, voice raspy as he gathered all his remaining strength for this single word. She looked at him then, smiling instantly again and leaned over to place a soft kiss on the corner of his mouth.

"Later…" she breathed and lightly caressed his face. "You should try to sleep now, rest a bit" she suggested but he didn't want to do that. He did not want to dream of that lonely place again, always fearing to be alone again when he would wake up.

"No…" he tried to say but all that came out was another groan and he feebly shook his head. She seemed to understand, though, and with a small smile she crawled over toward him carefully and lay down at his side. "Sleep!" she ordered and rested her head on his shoulder. "I'm tired, too…" she yawned to prove her point and he relaxed, resting his head against hers again. Whatever awaited them, it could wait a little longer…


	30. A Battle Of Dragons

** Hiccup **

When Hiccup woke up the next time he was alone again. Judging by the light that entered through the half-closed curtains it was probably late afternoon. His leg was throbbing again but it wasn't too bad yet so he almost didn't care about that at all. He _had_ dreamed of being completely alone again, had tried very hard to wake up from that nightmare, only to find Astrid gone for real. The place where she'd lain was still warm, though, so she couldn't be gone for long.

Blinking drowsily, he looked around the room, searching for any signs of her. The door to his room was slightly ajar, he noticed, and at that moment, he heard the voices, too. He couldn't understand what they were saying again, but those were the same voices he'd heard in his other dream before as well. And unlike then he knew instantly to whom they belonged this time. He cringed as he heard the sharp tone of his mother's voice, obviously dissatisfied, and braced himself for her to storm in here at any moment.

He wasn't yet ready to deal with her. With her, and with what he'd heard her say. He remembered every word thereof but refused to think about it. His fuzzy mind wasn't quite able to work through this and what it meant, how it undoubtedly would affect him.

To his utter amazement, he then heard Astrid reply and her voice was just as sharp and unyielding if not even more so. He admired her bravery for standing so boldly against _the dragon._ Not many would dare to do so and for _her_ to do it… She knew perfectly well who the other woman was, her employer and his mother who had every right to visit him, and yet…

The door opened and he cringed again but against his expectations, it was Astrid who entered and closed the door behind her. She looked upset and concerned again and this time made no move to hide this from him.

"Hiccup! You're awake, I'm sorry," she said as she returned to his side, not walking around the bed to _her_ side this time, the far side where she wouldn't be in the way of any necessary treatment, but rather the direct way. Standing between him and the door…

"What was that?" he asked in a low and croaking whisper and nodded toward the door. These few hours rest really had helped a lot he had to admit. Astrid lowered her head, not meeting his eyes, and shook her head.

"Just a… minor disagreement…" she said through gritted teeth and Hiccup would have laughed out loud if his condition would have allowed it. One had no _minor_ _disagreement_ with _the_ _dragon_ … He reassuringly squeezed her hand that had taken his again. Whatever this was about, it didn't really matter right now. He didn't care about what his mother was doing… Couldn't care about it right now in fact. He needed to occupy his mind with other more practical topics right now, not yet able to deal with this most complicated one.

"Astrid…" he said and noticed how even the few words he'd said already exhausted him greatly. "What happened?" he added, exertion plain in his voice.

Astrid looked up at him again. "You don't remember?" she asked and Hiccup just shook his head. She grimaced and began to talk.

She told him of that man, Eret, who had been her boyfriend up to the day one week ago where they'd met on the bus and he finally understood her tears of that day. She told him of how she'd completely forgotten this Eret after they'd met and he felt good, proud and confident to have been able to make her forget this muttonhead. She told him of how, retrospectively, they now knew he'd seen them together in the park on Sunday and how he apparently had pursued Hiccup afterwards, waiting to get him alone and a dim memory of a shadow in the dark rose in his mind. With a shaking voice, she told him how this Eret apparently attacked him and how his emergency call for Heather had probably saved him when the door opened again. They both turned toward it, expecting a nurse or a doctor again, and flinched simultaneously when their expectations were let down.

 _The dragon_ in all her glory entered his room, striding confidently and with a determined expression on her otherwise exhausted face, a thin packet under her arm. He wanted to hide, to run, to flee from her. He wasn't able to deal with her, his usual armour of sarcasm and fake boredom not quite combat-ready yet. She would crush him with whatever she intended to throw at him and there was nothing he could do about it right not. But then, he didn't need to anyway.

"No!" Astrid said determinedly and stepped toward her, crossing her path toward him. "It's way too early for this! Give him some time!" Hiccup only saw her back now as she was facing his mother but he could imagine the glare she gave the other woman, could almost hear it in the tone of her voice. He wondered whether, maybe, he'd called the wrong woman a dragon just now…

"But time is what we don't have!" his mother stated cooly. "The more time we waste the harder this will be for him. And I won't build another one of these deathtraps! I think we can agree on that point at least." The two dragons glared at each other and Hiccup felt all the more weak and insignificant with them both in this rather small room. And although they'd been talking in a coherent language instead of simply growling at each other and were even talking about him nonetheless, he still had no idea what this was about.

"Fine!" Astrid agreed reluctantly. "But as his _assistant,_ I decide when Mr Haddock has time to engage in this project." She held out her hand, and after a moment's hesitation, his mother handed her the thin packet she'd been carrying.

Hiccup could only gape. Never before had he seen or heard someone daring to talk to his mother like that! And it looked like Astrid would not only survive it, but also be successful with her demands as well.

His mother mumbled something in a low voice. It sounded like "I guess I deserved that…" but he was sure to have misunderstood that one. She would never admit having made a mistake… would she? She then turned to leave his room but stopped again when she reached the doorway. "I'm glad you're awake again, Hiccup." She said over her shoulder and her voice sounded almost strained as if admitting this cost her much effort. She was out of the room, door closed again, before either Astrid or he himself could react in any way, though.

Astrid stared down at the packet in her hand, her face concerned and upset all over again. He had no idea what it was that made her feel this uneasy. It was obviously related to his mother, though in which way he couldn't tell. But then this had not been his girlfriend talking to his mother right now, not exclusively at least. She'd said it herself, this had been his assistant talking to both their superior as well, although her tone surely not had sounded like that at all. There was some complicated working relationship rising to be sure… Anyway, when this was related to his _work_ instead of his _mother_ he could deal with it!

"What is that?" he asked, voice strained and she pressed her lips together, reluctant to talk about this. He simply waited as he could see her mind working clear on her face. Then she sighed, nodded once and sat down by his side again, head leaning against his shoulder and packet still in hand.

"It's about your leg," she explained reluctantly. "It's… well, Eret destroyed it pretty efficiently. We need new plans to build another one, so you can start synchronizing with it as soon as possible. But you need your rest, and can't start to work on this while you're on drugs anyway." 

Hiccup thought about this. It was true that now would be a perfect time to adjust a new prosthetic with the leg already _open_ so to speak instead of cutting it open some day later again. He didn't see the problem. Rebuilding it should only take a day or two, as long as this would be a high priority project. But… what had she said?

"New plans?" he asked hoarsely, and winced. His mind became clearer, and his control over his motor functions grew stronger as well. But this meant the effect of the drugs was wearing off and the pain in his leg returned as well. He would have to call for the nurses to get another dose soon, he knew that. This wound was too fresh, enduring the pain without any drugs would be insane. But he didn't want to have his mind clouded again, not yet at least. Not with the mystery of this packet unrevealed and with Astrid so anxious about it.

"You can't use another one like the last," she whispered, and he noticed her trembling at his side. Of course, he couldn't use an exact copy, it would have to be altered to fit this new wound but that wasn't so difficult. No, this was no explanation for her anxiety. There was more to it.

"Why?" he asked carefully, struggling to keep the pain out of his voice least she'd call for the nurse right away. He needed to stay awake, just a little longer…

"Because…" she began, but brook off again as tears suddenly welled up in her eyes and her trembling grew worse. "Because you almost died because of it!" she sobbed, hiding her face against his chest.

Hiccup blinked uncomprehendingly, and put his arms around her, drawing her closer to comfort her. He almost died? And because of his leg? That didn't make much sense to him, though by now the pain made it harder to think again. He rubbed her back soothingly until she'd recovered enough to tell him the rest of what had happened.


	31. Light In The Darkness

** Astrid **

Astrid looked down at Hiccup's face and had to admit he really looked peaceful. Or at least he looked way more peaceful now than he had during the past two hours. She wanted nothing more than to reach out to caress his face and run her fingers through his tousled hair but contained herself least she'd wake him up again. Not now, after he'd _finally_ agreed to take another dose of painkillers…

She had told him what had happened to him, of Eret and how it was all her fault. She'd told him of how his brilliant snap decision to call Heather had saved him from Eret inflicting even more pain on him. And, after that one short interruption, she'd told him of how he'd almost bled to death, of how easily he actually could be dead now, all because of her and this stupid flaw in his prosthetic. Just talking about it had been enough to make her break down then…

She'd told him what his mother had told her earlier, too. That she refused to build another one of this flawed prosthetic for him. But what were the alternatives? He could wear a simple standard prosthetic for now but for that to work the wound would need to heal a great deal more. He would need to spend weeks in bed for that to happen and would again need weeks thereafter for a rehab that would be completely useless as he would need to start all over again as soon as the improved leg was ready.

Of course, Astrid agreed on this one point… she wouldn't want him to wear another one of these _deathtraps_. How easily something could have happened already. It hadn't even been necessary to _break_ the leg, a slightly more severe bruise would have been enough, as they now knew. It was true, they really did agree on this point.

No, there was only one sensible solution and that was to overwork Hiccup's plans for his leg, to eliminate this flaw and get this improved prosthetic on him as soon as possible. She had come to this conclusion on her own before and had expected someone at _the lair_ would already be working on this. Learning that this was not the case had made her angry, had made her even yell again. It had been a good thing that Heather had been there as well at that moment, or she didn't know what else she would have done. It appeared, that Hiccup was even more special than she'd already known. Because there simply was no one else who was actually _capable_ of overworking these plans. Not even Fishlegs, who'd worked out those with Hiccup in the first place, was smart enough to make these alterations.

For a moment, Astrid looked fondly at Hiccup again. Of course, she knew how special and unique he was, had always known that. But learning just how capable he really was… She shook her head in amazement. _Brilliant mastermind_ , Heather had called him and now she knew just how fitting this nickname was. But of course, this was exactly the reason for this quandary right now.

Because only Hiccup himself was capable of overworking the plans for his leg. And how could he do this in his current state? He was either in pain or under the dizzying influence of painkillers. How should he be able to concentrate enough? This was too important to risk him making another mistake. He needed more time, a few days at least to come around enough. Maybe, if the pain lessened he would have about one or maybe two hours between every dose to work on this. But then again, even that was a lot to ask, in her opinion at least.

After she'd explained this dilemma to Hiccup, he'd immediately wanted to take a look at the packet his mother had brought. She'd already known what it was as Heather and Fishlegs had told her about that before, during the days she'd waited for Hiccup to wake up. Fishlegs especially had been enthusiastic about it as he'd waited for this for months, or so he told her. It was an improved working tablet and every nerd (Heather's word…) at _floor 50_ got one this week. As far as she understood, it contained enough high-tech to run an entire space shuttle, or something equally demanding at least. It hadn't really mattered to her and Heather had just laughed and had told her to let the boys enjoy their playthings. If only…

After Hiccup had taken a look at this he'd wanted to start working immediately. He, too, understood, after all. The longer he needed to alter these plans, the longer he would need to stay in the hospital. He'd winked at her and had said he'd really like to go _home_ again, soon. The way he'd said the word 'home' had made her blush and she hadn't been able to convince him to take it easy after that. For two hours she'd watched him work then, had watched him suffer in pain only to get reacquainted with these plans as fast as possible. It had been obvious however in just _how much_ pain he'd been. Every movement had been careful and deliberate, his face covered in sweat. His breathing had turned into panting and he'd groaned in pain every now and then, probably without even realizing it.

Astrid had taken the tablet away from him then, had refused to give it back and had called for the nurse. If necessary she would have restrained Hiccup herself but he'd agreed to let the nurse inject him with the drugs, finally seeing reason. The effect had been instantly again, his whole body had visibly relaxed as the pain subsided and his eyes had gotten that dreamy gleam again. He'd reached out for her, inviting her into his arms again and she hadn't been able to resist this invitation. She'd nestled up against him, basking in his warmth while his breathing calmed down further. He'd hummed contently, drawing her closer and then, right before he'd completely drifted off into sleep, had whispered drowsily against her hair. "I love you…"

She'd jerked upright instantly, had stared at him, eyes wide and heart racing. But he'd been out entirely, a relaxed smile on his peaceful face. "Not fair…" she'd whispered right back, knowing he couldn't hear her anymore and had nestled up against him once again. "But I love you, too" she'd mumbled against his chest and for a moment it seemed like he'd hummed contently in his sleep.

She hadn't been able to sleep again as well, though, had gotten up after she'd soaked up enough of their closeness and was now standing by the window, looking out over a small park, arms closely wrapped around herself. She knew she wouldn't be able to keep Hiccup from working on these plans. Oh, she could try, she guessed. She could refuse to give the tablet back, which should be enough, considering he couldn't walk and all. But somehow she knew this wouldn't work. He would find a way to get it back, even if it meant he had to jump on his one remaining leg through the room, ripping off all the tubes and wires in the process. _He has a history of endangering himself…_ These words kept popping up in her mind then and it took her conscious thoughts a while to remember where they came from, to realize what her subconsciousness tried to tell her. She had heard these words before, hadn't known then that they related to Hiccup. But know she knew. She knew and understood them. Mrs Dragonite had been worried for him all along…

 _Valka!_ , she berated herself. Gods, could this whole situation really get any more awkward? Not even Heather was allowed to call her that… But she had to admit, there was some connection between her and the older woman. They synchronized on a strange, deeper level, even though Astrid could not understand or explain it, not even to herself. She'd been determined to hate this woman. This person who'd deliberately inflicted so much pain on her own son. And although nothing had changed really, she found she could understand her. Not _forgive_ her, _never_ forgive her! But _understand_ … She hadn't left Hiccup because she didn't care for him… She'd left him because the grief over her husband's loss had been too great to deal with. She _had_ left him, which was the crucial point, but… well, Astrid could at least accept her efforts now without feeling too bad about it. Especially as they served her purpose. Because in the end, they both had the same goal. Keeping Hiccup save!

She shuddered and a moment later picked up her blanket from the uncomfortable plastic chair and wrapped it around her shoulders. She wasn't cold, not really. But it comforted her nonetheless as unbidden memories haunted her.

She thought about how this one week had changed her life so thoroughly and how easily it could have been destroyed again by now. No, she wouldn't let any harm get to him if she could prevent it. She cared too much for him and was looking forward to what the future might hold for them. Yes, she did understand Valka. Losing Hiccup… that would destroy her!

Her life had been a mess up until last week. Of course, compared to what Hiccup had endured, her life hadn't been all that bad, but still… She'd been devastated by her parents' death and Hiccup's disappearance, as he appeared to have changed his plans and she hadn't known to which college he went. She had holed up in her apartment and had almost done nothing but crying for three weeks straight. Without any family or friends left who would have cared for her, Mrs Ingerman, Fishleg's mother, her neighbour had been the only person who'd even bothered to look out for her. She hadn't done much, had knocked on her door on a daily basis, asked how she was and brought her leftover food from their table. Retrospectively she suspected the plump woman had cooked an additional portion just for her and was grateful for it, but back then it had only annoyed her. As if she wasn't able to care for herself…

But truth be told, she hadn't been, not at that time. Maybe she would have drowned in her grief then and waiting, hoping for a certain letter to arrive that never came, hadn't helped her much as well. She'd remembered how she'd dreamed of travelling, of seeing the world but hadn't dared to leave least she'd miss his letter after all. Again, it had been Mrs Ingerman who'd saved her in a way. Astrid had bought her plane ticket months ago, back when her life still had been reasonably happy, but as the day grew closer she thought herself unable to leave. But her neighbour had apparently noticed her impatiently checking her mailbox multiple times every day and had promised to contact her, should this certain letter arrive.

This reassurance had been all she'd needed, she'd packed her backpack and left without looking back. For two years she'd then worked and travelled all around the world, had tried all the things, she'd dreamed off and this time could have been a happy one. But she'd always regretted having lost the contact to Hiccup. During all her travelling the thought of him nagged at her. She dreamed of meeting him by chance on the streets or in a club or bar, found herself even looking for his patch of tousled auburn hair wherever she went. After two years then she gave up. Running away from her memories didn't work and all the new things she saw and learned lost their appeal to her. So she returned to her home, to the apartment that she'd inherited and tried to go on.

She took various jobs, as a waitress in a bar for example, but lost it again, when the bar closed a few months later. She tried to turn her hobby into a profession and became a personal trainer in a gym, but being a young woman, and not an ugly one, had led to too many customers groping her and after she'd broken that pig's arm she'd been asked to resign her job. An old friend of her parents had offered her help as well. He had proffered the possibility of a job in his corporation if she'd get additional qualifications in handling various computer programs. But in the end, that job had been cancelled before she'd even had the chance to start it as the corporation suffered severe losses due to the ailing economy. And those had been only a few examples of her bad luck. The apartment belonged to her and her parents had left her with a certain heritage but even those reserves couldn't last forever.

She'd tried to flee this life occasionally, had saved up every scrap of money she could spare to buy gear, equipment and pay for vacations where she'd be able to pursue her hobbies. Everything to distract her from her dreary life.

She had been with a few men as well. She'd tried to engage herself in earnest relationships, to distract herself from the one she could never forget. But she had no luck there as well. There were the sportsmen with whom she at least shared her hobby. But most of them were too much in love with themselves, too determined on their goals, to entertain a relationship. That was alright in a way, she at least understood that. But there were also these men she occasionally met in bars and clubs, that were only looking for a reasonably pretty body and nothing else. And then there were men like Eret… Men who had the confidence to deal with a woman who wasn't the usual weak damsel in distress. Men who had the physical strength to not be afraid of hers. Maybe it was unavoidable, or maybe she only really had a lot of bad luck… But she found that more often than not, these men turned out to be abusive brutes as soon as they realized she wouldn't yield to their every wish. Eret had only been the last in a long line of men like that…

She gripped her blanket tight and drew it closer around her, shivering again. The memories of Hiccup had always been like an invisible sun, warming her from the inside, even though on the outside her life had been cold and meaningless. She'd never stopped wondering where he'd went, had never stopped hoping for his letter to arrive. And then, after this horrible day one week ago, she'd read his name beneath hers at the doorbell.

She looked back to where he lay on his bed, connected to all these machines, wires and tubes everywhere around him. No, she would not let anything happen to him again! He'd called her his light in the darkness but the same went for him as well. He was her light, too. Suddenly tired, after all, she crawled back to his side, cuddling up against him once more and, wrapped in her blanket and his arm alike, she closed her eyes.

They would have to face a lot in the near future. Hiccup would not contain himself when it came to overworking these plans. He would try to put off taking the painkillers in order to keep his mind clear as long as possible and she would have to convince him to take breaks every day anew. And after he accomplished this, there would be the time of rehab, of synchronization with his new leg. He'd mentioned it before, that part had taken a years time and had been quite painful. But he hadn't shown any signs of reluctance to go through this again. And he wasn't alone this time… Together, they would be able to face everything no matter how long it took or how hard it would be.

This left one problem to be solved… A problem that would need time, patience and comforting, she guessed. She hadn't told Hiccup yet what she knew about his mother by now. And she had concealed the fact that it had been _her_ who'd saved his life as well, for now at least. It wasn't like she didn't want to grant this to her, not at all. But Hiccup seemed not to be ready yet to deal with this topic, she'd seen this during their earlier encounter with her. But she'd also noticed something else. Heather might have seen this before but then she was not in a position to do anything about this.

She would need to ask her for confirmation, though, but… She had noticed how both, Hiccup and Valka, behaved completely out of the ordinary around each other or, in Hiccup's case, when the other one was only mentioned a well. They both were armoured heavily against the emotional pain the other one was able to inflict upon them, not realizing that this armour was what hurt them and kept them apart in the first place.

Yes, they had a lot of work lying ahead of them. But hopefully, they also had all the time in the world to go about it.


	32. Epilogue

** Two years later **

** Hiccup  **

Hiccup bent over and leaned down a bit to scratch his leg. It still itched occasionally, although the synchronization process was practically finished. It had taken a bit longer this time but he knew all too well why that was and couldn't hide his grin. Having his girlfriend fuss about him had been just too much fun to hurry through the rehab so he'd deliberately taken it slowly. He knew that she knew about this, though, and yet she'd never complained. But then, he tried very hard to make it up to her every day anew.

With a sigh, he got upright again and leaned against the front of his Porsche. It wasn't time yet he knew that but his eyes searched the light blue sky above him nonetheless. He'd parked the car at the side of a big field with no crops but only grass on it. There were markers all over the field and to the side stood a small bungalow. He knew there were people in there, probably watching him curiously, but he didn't care, really. Not anymore.

Ever since he'd been announced official heir to Dragonite Engineering a year ago he'd gotten a whole lot more of attention. It almost felt like he'd become some kind of celebrity or even a prince or something like that. Sure, Dragonite Engineering was by far the biggest company in a wide reach, but still… It was weird nonetheless to be recognized by strangers on the street, though by now it didn't make him as uncomfortable anymore. And he had to admit, knowing these people in that bungalow were there with their monitoring equipment and the first aid station was reassuring.

He glanced again at his watch, impatiently. Their timetable for this day was tight and he hoped, this point on their list wouldn't delay them too much. Heather and Fishlegs would never forgive them... But it was still early and he sighed again, crossed his arms in front of his chest and kept waiting.

It had taken a long time to reach this point. He was glad they'd done so eventually despite all the misunderstandings in the beginning. He chuckled to himself as the memories boiled up once again in the back of his mind. They were fond memories and he treasured them, just like any other memory that was linked to her. And he liked reliving them.

It had been a few weeks after he'd been attacked when he first noticed her reluctance on this topic. He was through adjusting the plans for his new leg and in the absence of anything else to do he'd started to work on his other projects again, although everyone assured him that was _not_ necessary. This new working tablet really was incredible, Fishlegs had outdone himself with that one. Altering plans and blueprints worked intuitively, almost like that thing new what he wanted it to do and working, in general, had become a hel lot of fun. But he knew that was only true for himself.

For Astrid, this probably was a harder time. After one week he'd convinced her to return to her apartment for the nights, although he'd loved to have her there by his side. But she, too, needed rest. And she spent almost all her time during the days with him anyway. She'd insisted that, as his assistant, she had to help him in any possible way. And since she had no appointments to organize or other secretary-related work to do as long as he wasn't in their office she'd settled to run errands between him and _the_ _lair_ and in general watch over him as she deemed appropriate. He had been worried about how this might affect her job situation and had been quite surprised when he'd learned that his mother had agreed to this arrangement. Although, by know, he knew why, of course… Astrid spent hours then, sitting by his side and watching him work, trying to understand what he did to get a feeling for the individual projects. It was, after all, part of her job to know them well enough to make suggestions for improvement. She was eager to engage in this work, enthusiastic even, and he had to admit he liked it quite a lot to work with her like this, even though some of her suggestions were so out of the ordinary that he couldn't help himself but laugh cordially. But then, that was the point of those, or so he guessed.

The only project she didn't want to work on was the _Dragonfly_ project. That had surprised him, considering she'd always dreamed of wingsuit flying but he couldn't very well force it upon her if she refused it so vigorously. This had been a blow however as this still was his favourite project. Many people had called him crazy because of this, but… well, he had experienced how it was to soar through the sky, free and without restraints like the dragons he so admired. His accident had been just that, an accident. It had nothing to do with the glorious memory of being _free_. But Astrid was so reluctant to work on this. And after he'd told her what had happened to him he couldn't blame her, really. Of course, she'd known before how dangerous wingsuit flying was, she had after all her own experiences with all kinds of dangerous sports. But knowing about the danger and knowing someone who actually had experienced it first hand seemed to make a great difference to her. So he didn't push that topic, didn't force it upon her as long as she was this reluctant about it. She even suggested to give this project over to someone else but he couldn't bring himself to do that. This was _his_ project! The one he'd inherited after his accident and had brought to Dragonite Engineering in the first place, the one he renamed himself, making it all the more personal. And the one his mother rather indulged than supported, really… So he'd laid it aside, hoping she would come around enough that someday they could work on this together.

It was months later though before he began to understand. It was the day of his releases from the hospital. Astrid picked him up of course and they drove _home_ to her apartment as his own was still not furnished and arranged after all this time. He noticed the change in her living room instantly as he'd come to love the oversized painting of the woman in her wingsuit. Instead, there was now a poster from Lord of the Rings, depicting the Eagles of Manwë flying over the sheer cliff sides of mountains and over white clouds that almost looked like the sea. How odd for her to replace the dreaded painting with _this_ picture! She'd never been that huge a fan of Lord of the Rings, not like he was. And if she suddenly was afraid of soaring through the sky like that, then why would she choose _this_ of all images instead…

He hadn't gotten the chance to inquire after that though as there were other more pressing activities to engage in than mere talking. In fact, he'd effectively forgotten that topic until he watched her during one of her training sessions a few days later. Watching her move, turn, and stretch, covered in sweat, had become one of his favourite free time activities and since the sight was rather distracting he hadn't noticed the painting leaning against the wall the first few times he'd done so. But after he did, he took his crutch and hobbled over to take a look.

"Args, no!" she tried to keep him away from it but it was too late. It really was, as expected, the wingsuit painting and he turned toward her, puzzled as to why she'd kept it if this bothered her so much. She looked down guiltily and bit her lip. "I'm sorry!" she said, baffling him even more. "I should have gotten rid of it long ago, but…" she trailed off, obviously uncomfortable, and he saw how her gaze lingered longingly on the painting behind him. He leaned it back against the wall carefully and hobbled toward her, searching her eyes for a confirmation of his presumptions.

"You still want to do this, right?" he asked, almost whispering, waving a hand toward the picture. She pressed her lips together and shook her head, but he saw the longing in her eyes as her gaze wandered toward the painting again. He began to laugh, as realization dawned on him and drew her into his arms, covered in sweat as she was, and kissed her passionately.

It had taken him some time to convince her then, that he did _not_ mind working on the _Dragonfly_ project, that the panic attack he'd gotten that day in their office hadn't been related to it at all, but rather to the mere thought of _her_ being in danger, of losing her again. It had been his old fear of being all alone that had caused that panic attack and not the wingsuit. Not at all… Admittedly, he hadn't liked the idea of her testing the wingsuit for him, hadn't liked the idea of anyone else doing it, in fact. After all, he knew of the danger. But he hadn't liked the idea of her doing anything dangerous and that was one argument lost to be sure. And this attack had proven, one could be in danger even while doing the simplest things as well. No, he wouldn't be able to keep her away from all danger, he'd accepted that by now. All he could do was minimize the danger for her as much as possible by building the safest equipment achievable for her.

After that had been settled though there was no holding back. They'd spend almost all their time working on this particular project, whether it had been in their office or at home as well, for after a few months later, he'd officially moved in with her. And now it was time for the final test. Not the first one as they'd tested it multiple times already on a smaller scale but the first real one.

Hiccup felt his heartbeat quicken. She would be sitting in the helicopter by now, high up in the air already. The technicians over in the bungalow were probably sending the coordinates for the optimal starting position to the pilot right now, depending on the wind's direction and speed. It felt wrong somehow to not do this himself, to trust anyone else with anything related to this… But he knew the people working over there knew their job. So he simply had to trust them…

He had to trust them and the pilot and Astrid herself that this would not turn into a disaster after all. He'd accepted the fact that she would perform this test the moment he'd kissed her in her training room and yet, with everything that had happened in his past, he couldn't help but be anxious. He took a deep breath to further calm himself. Everything would work out as planned, he had to believe in that! He glanced at his watch again and searched the sky once more. It was almost time…

Of course, if this test should delay them after all, they could always cancel their lunch appointment. If it was up to him he would do so gladly anyway. But Valka wouldn't be all to happy about that... Ugh, even after all these months, that name sounded strange in his own ears. Or rather… thoughts…

This had been Astrid's suggestion and her logic had gotten to them both in the end. Hiccup had never felt much love for his _mother_ which had made dealing with the real person so much harder. They had no real mother-son-relationship and never would have. Using these forms of address regardlessly had only served to remind them every day anew of what they would never have. So they were just Valka and Hiccup now to each other, not quite family but surely more than just employer and employee. That didn't mean it was exactly easy now to deal with her. But it was easier nonetheless. They didn't meet for lunch every day anymore as well and the fact that Astrid was with him most of the times they met helped a lot, too. She served as a kind of buffer, able to chat amiably about non-offensive topics like their work or other easy topics as well. At first, he'd had a guilty conscience because of this as it seemed unfair for him to bring his girlfriend as support while Valka came alone but he soon learned not to bother himself over this too much. In fact, there had been times he'd actually wished to have come alone when the two women had joined their forces to convince him of one decision or other. As much as it baffled him, the two of them had a lot in common. Especially when it came to making his life harder.

He smiled to himself at this thought. If he was honest with himself it did him good to know that Valka cared for him after all. He'd never forgotten what he'd overheard her saying in the hospital that day and although she still hadn't told him any of this in person, Astrid had confirmed that it really had not been a dream. That didn't wipe away all these years during which he'd been convinced to be unwanted and the pain that thought had brought with it but it made dealing with her now easier.

His phone beeped in his pocket, signalling that Astrid would jump out of that helicopter in five minutes. He exhaled deeply and bit his lip. He prayed to all the Gods in Asgard that nothing would go wrong. He had plans for this day, after all… His left hand fumbled for the small box in his pocket again, making sure it was still there. He drew it out once more to distract himself and took a look at its content. There it was, the golden band with this strange stone set on its surface. It was light blue with a touch of turquoise, marbles with yellow streaks in a strange, spherical pattern and carved into the shape of an oval with slightly pointy ends. A scale for his beloved dragon. The colours were the same as her hair and her eyes and he really hoped she would like it as it surely was not exactly what one would expect. Not the platinum band with a pretty diamond… With shaking hands he closed the box again and tucked in away carefully back into his pocket.

His phone beeped again, two minutes left. Of course, this day probably was not the best day for his plan to be executed. It was, after all, not _their_ day of honour. But today was the _right_ day nonetheless. Exactly two years ago he'd seen her on the bus again and this day had changed _everything_. And then, he didn't plan to make a big announcement today. The yellow press would have to wait a few more days for this headline, although by now they'd probably become bored by them anyway. His relationship with Astrid was no secret, after all.

The third beep, thirty seconds left. He locked his eyes to the sky and now could see the helicopter as well as it manoeuvred into position in the distance. A part of him wanted to be up there as well, wanted to jump and fly again, feel this intoxicating freedom once more. But he knew that was not possible. He had accepted this long ago, after all. He knew that, no matter how good an artificial leg he'd have, it would never be as good as a real one, would never be able to do those delicate navigational movements necessary to fly with a wingsuit. He had to be content with having made it possible for her to experience this freedom as well.

And then he saw her.

She was nothing but a small dark figure against the blue sky and yet he felt his connection to her, even over this distance. His heart raced as he watched her gliding through the winds and from down here it looked almost slow the way she made her way to the landing field in front of him. But he knew better… His breathing quickened as well as he watched her, eyes wide. He was glad other people were making notes on this flight as he would not have been able to do so himself. She was close enough now that he could make out her yellow helmet and imagined her eyes blazing beneath it as the memories of his own flight resurfaced once again. At least in his mind, he was flying alongside with her right now.

And then she opened her parachute, just like she was supposed to, not too late as she'd promised him. He watched her floating downward gracefully and already heard her cries of joy, understanding them all too well. She landed in an almost leisurely walk over the grass, quickly stripping out of the gear that held the strings of the parachute, knowing others would collect it for her. He walked toward her at a slow pace, giving her time but apparently he'd underestimated her stripping skills. A mischievous grin crept across his face at this thought but disappeared momentarily when he noticed her running toward him.

She'd thrown off her helmet and her eyes were blazing just like he'd imagined only moments before. She jumped at him, tackling him over into the soft grass and crushed her lips against his. Chuckling, he placed his hands on her hips to steady her, the wingsuit she still wore preventing him from taking her in his arms completely. All too soon, she retreated from their kiss, though, still panting from her adrenaline rush, and buried her face in his neck.

"Thank you!" she wheezed in between two gasps and he leaned over to press his lips into her hair. He took a deep breath, inhaling her scent mixed with the scent of the wind, savouring this moment.

"For you, Milady" he whispered. "Anything!"

* * *

They were running out of time, after all! They had made it in time to meet Valka for lunch, but the more than thorough description of this test flight had taken its time. Valka had asked uncountable questions and Astrid had been eager to answer them as detailed as possible. Hiccup himself had been out of this conversation. He had yet to look up all the notes others had made for him, and wasn't able to answer any of the technical questions she was interested in.

It had been, however, a wonderful feeling to see Astrid excited like this. The adrenaline rush still seemed to take effect, painting her cheeks with a beautiful rosy tint and her eyes were still sparkling, or well, even more than usual. Hiccup was content to just look at her while the two women talked animatedly.

It had been the beeping of his phone then, that reminded them of their other appointment today. With a start, Astrid first stared at him, her watch and at him again and she jumped out from her seat, almost knocking the table over with the movement. "Ohmygodsohmygodsohmygods!" she squealed and hastily scrambled for her port money within the black hole she called a purse. It was her turn to take the bill, after all.

Valka chuckled at the sight and waved her off. "Just go, I'll take care of this." She said with an amused smile. Astrid gave her a thankful look, took Hiccup's arm and practically dragged him out of the restaurant and toward his car.

"Oh, we'll be too late, Gods dammit! Heather will kill me!" she whined. "Back to the apartment, changing, freshen up… we can't make it in time, can we?" she stared at him pleadingly, obviously expecting him to work some kind of magic. But she was right, there was no way they would make it in time this way. Hiccup chuckled.

"Your dress is in the trunk, along with your make-up and my tux" He had, after all, expected their timetable for this day to be tight… "We'll stop somewhere remote and can change on the backseats. We'll make it in time." She stared at him, dumbfounded, as he started the engine, a sly smile on his lips. Sometimes baffling her was a hel lot of fun.

They stopped amidst a small forest on a side road, hidden effectively from view by a few trees. Hiccup felt safe to change into his tux just there and left the back seats for Astrid and her fancy dress. Heather really would kill them both in case they got any dirt on that one… When he was ready to go, he sat down in the driver's seat again, and pulled out his tablet. He could hear Astrid curse behind him as she tried to change within the narrow space, and had to distract himself least he joined her back there. Then, they would definitely be too late…

He opened the _Dragonfly_ file, and started to flip through the notes. There wasn't much of interest, though. Everything had worked out as planned. 

"There," Astrid reached over his shoulder to indicate a point at the side of the drawing on the display. "The fabric is slightly too loose between the right arm and leg." She indicated a second point, leaning over him a little more, and he noticed that she still wasn't wearing her dress. "And a little too tight between the legs." _  
_

_Yeah, well, I know that feeling…_ he thought to himself as he added her notes to the sketch. Aloud he said. "Astrid, get dressed! We have things to do today, remember? Walking down the aisle, standing in front of the altar, you know, stuff like that…"

At that, she giggled, but did as he told her. A few minutes later she climbed onto the passenger seat, decently dressed, or rather as decently as was possible in this sorry excuse of a bridesmaid dress. She folded down the sun visor to apply new makeup and groaned. "You haven't thought of bringing a hairbrush, too, don't you?" she asked hopelessly. He blinked. And grimaced.

"No," he admitted sheepishly and turned toward her. "But, you know, nobody will look too closely at you. I mean, everyone will look at Heather, right? No need to panic."

Slowly, Astrid turned toward him, eyebrows raised as high as possible. "Is that so?" she asked, her voice dangerously calm.

Hiccup blushed. "I-I mean… well... I will look at you, of course… but… you know… I've seen your hair in a much worse state before, so..." he trailed off as she began to laugh, and smiled at her fondly.

"Let's get going then." She said when she was satisfied with her makeup. "You have the rings?"

"Yep!" Hiccup confirmed and while he started the engine to drive them to their best friends' wedding he added mentally. _All three of them._

**THE END**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, this was the last chapter of 'this' story. There are two more to this series, and I'm going to add them during the next days. I hope you've enjoyed it so far, and would be happy over some reaction/feedback from your side. :)

**Author's Note:**

> I'd love to get some comments :o) Anything would be welcome!


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